Learning To Live If Only To Lose
by Emyln
Summary: Draco wonders what its like to be happy, torn between the decision to end his life or become a Death Eater a game of poker puts him in a situation where he may be able to learn to be happy..even if only for a whileR&R!
1. The Bet

**_AN:I dunno what I'm getting up to yet...but i dunno its another G/D that i cant see having a happy ending but i think it may be worth reading. This ones for Celeigh and Rae! who read this first chapter first!!  
Im trying out this layout..did ANYONE FIND HOW TO INDENT!?!? im going nutso here_**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, nothing do i own..everything is JK ROWLINGS..obviously. In this fic Blaise is a guy, i believe thats what he is isn't it? Cant remember what she said.

Summary: Draco wonders what its like to be happy, torn between the decision to end his life or become a Death Eater a game of poker puts him in a situation where he may be able to learn to be happy..even if only for a while

* * *

She sits at a table in the library, by a sunlit window looking mindlessly over the Hogwarts grounds while twirling a finger around her shimmering deep-red hair. Alone like he is, but there's one large difference, she's smiling.

He watched her from his table, wondering how she can be like that. They are both usually alone, but he wonders how she doesn't seem to mind. He'd spot her time to time just by herself on the grounds, the same innocent and bemused smile on her dusty pink lips, she didn't smile with her teeth, just a slight curve to her mouth seemed to be just as bright as a light in the dark.

When he was alone he was just as miserable as he was around people. He wondered how she did it, how could she always just be so happy? He sat back in his chair running a hand through his silvery-blonde hair and looking back to his studies. He wondered what it felt like to be happy.

Someone whispers to her and she shakes out of her reverie, her smile barely fading. He wonders if her lips ever get tired, does she still smile while she sleeps? What if she got her heart broken? Would she still smile through it? She hands another girl a large red book she had and the girl walks away and still she seems happy even though she's alone again.

Draco felt so immensely jealous. Why does the Weasley girl get to be happy and cheerful all the time? Why couldn't he be like that? He rubbed his arm a little, the Dark Mark would be placed there this summer and the only way he could escape serving the Dark Lord was to die, and to be honest Draco was wondering what he had to live for.

But her. She seemed to have no cares in the world, he had just noticed her this year, not because she was pretty, or one of his worst enemies sister. But he noticed she was happy every time he saw her, and that possibility that someone could enjoy life that much intrigued him to the very core of his being.

But she was poor wasn't she? And didn't have that many friends, sure she had two friends he sometimes saw her with. Wasn't she obsessed with the 'Brilliant Boy Who Lived'? And yet Potter was always watching that Chang girl out of the corner of his eye. Draco noticed things, he noticed everything because he was always alone, and always found others so confusing.

Didn't she have any problems? He wondered as she began to gather up her things. She knocked one of her books off her table and leaned off her chair to pick it up, she glanced up in his direction and her chocolatey-brown eyes met with his cold grey ones. And to his surprise she didn't look at him disgusted, she looked a little pensive, but smiled lightly and looked away putting her book into her bag and getting to her feet.

She joined a couple of her friends, a odd looking blonde haired girl with large glasses and that annoying Longbottom git. He wondered if she ever wanted normal friends, he watched her leave out of the corner of his eye and saw her glance back to him as she was stepping out of the door.

Strangely he felt like studying wasn't possible anymore, but then again he hadn't been studying at all. Well he was, but he knew it was something he was going to fail. He was studying what a happy person was like, and was maybe going to attempt being happy himself.

* * *

Draco yawned, he was bored out of his mind throwing down his cards. He was usually excellent at poker but today he had lost over seventy galleons and wasn't up to giving away anymore of his money.

"No more money mates, that was my last round." he thought about how easy it was to call Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, and Blaise his mates though he loathed every single one of them.

"No way Malfoy, you lost so I at least get to give you something to do you'll find terribly agonizing." Blaise laughed, though Draco seemed to have a lot in common with the tall Slytherin boy Draco actually loathed him the most.

"Whatever." Draco shrugged stretching his arms above his head, hearing Pansy sigh he rolled his eyes and glared. "To think my father wants me to marry that cow." he thought bitterly. The more he thought about it the more appealing dying sounded.

It wasn't that Draco hated being in Slytherin, he did belong there he was devious, selfish, cunning, materialistic and was a typical 'bad ass.' But the one Slytherin trait that had been played out for as long as he could remember was joining Voldemort. And quite contrary to what anyone thought of him, he had no interest in that.

Draco wanted to travel, he wanted to explore the tombs in Egypt and visit every haunted building and castle he could possibly find. He wanted to get a magic motorbike and leather jacket and travel around England. He wanted to find something he could do in his life to try and fill the empty void inside of him, to put an end to this terrible and annoying self reflection he always did to try and find out what he really wanted.

Draco loved haunted things, the things most people found horrifying fascinated him. He wanted to come across a werewolf, or maybe a violent haunting in some crumbling manor in Wales. But he didn't want to kill people for the mere sake of killing. He didn't see any point in it, to be honest he though Voldemort a coward, a bitter sorry-ass of a wizard hiding behind too many bodyguards and a magic stick.

"Here's what were going to do." Blaise started, Draco yawned again waving a hand boredly telling him to proceed. "Well since you claim you can get any girl, better then anyone else. We're going to write every letter of the alphabet down on a piece of paper then cut em up and then do it again and put the double set of letters in a cauldron. We'll use a random picking spell and pull out two letters to make up two initials and we'll think of the most difficult girl for you to try and get to succumb to your charms."

"Whatever." Draco nodded again standing up. "I have an owl to send I'll be back for your bloody pick of the witch." he said, knocking his chair over carelessly and heading to his dorm. His owl was out, and he didn't care. He touched the lock of his dark black trunk and it magically unlocked and he pulled out of the bottom a long piece of parchment.

On it were all the reasons he should become a Death Eater. He wondered if it could possibly fill the emptiness inside of him. Wouldn't he be a part of something for life? If everyone thought he would become a Death Eater why not? His father seemed to love killing so why couldn't he learn to as well?

Draco closed his trunk again, right now it seemed about his best shot. He had two cowardly options and he didn't know which one to choose. Either he end everything and perform Avada Kedavra on himself or join the Death Eaters. He left his room thinking he had no other choices, giving himself a month to make up his mind since there were only two months of Hogwarts left.

He crossed his arms heading back to the common room, and raised an eyebrow at Blaise.

"Well?" he asked. "Well if it's a plus side if I do pick the killing option at least I might get screwed before I go." he thought, strangely the thought didn't really provide any comfort.

"I got G." Blaise said, he looked to Goyle who was squinting terribly at the small piece of paper.

"Well you idiot?" Draco yawned.

"Uh..well I think its an M." he said in his gorilla like way of speech. Draco sighed.

"Alright pick someone Zambini." he said impatiently. Crabbe looked at the piece of paper Goyle was holding and narrowed his small eyes in his fat face.

"Uh...what's the line over the M mean Blaise?" he asked stupidly. Blaise growled impatiently and snatched the paper out of Goyle's huge hands.

"That's a W you idiots." he snapped. Draco felt his blood run cold, hopefully they had no idea of the person he was thinking of existed. Sure he liked to watch her, but that didn't mean he didn't want to attempt to 'woo' her, to be honest he really didn't want anything to do with her.

"WEASLEY!!" Zambini laughed giving Draco a slap on the back as though reading Draco's worst thought. Draco groaned and hit himself on the forehead wishing he wasn't so cheap not to continue playing with money.

* * *

He watched her while playing Quidditch, she was by the lake randomly dancing with her blonde haired friend. Obviously excited about something she spun around and he could hear her laughter from up in the air, he watched her hair and skirt swirl out around her, she didn't even stop laughing as she fell over and collided with her blonde haired friend.

How was he going to pull this one off? He thought to himself. As he caught a Quaffle for his warm up, and tossed it back to another player. He watched her get to her feet and brush herself off, and to his surprise she looked right up at him. He raised an eyebrow, wondering if she even knew who she was looking at. He almost laughed bitterly as she waved at him a little, her friend not noticing confirmed his thought that she didn't know.

But as a Quaffle hit him in the face and he fell of his broom and fell barely twenty feet to the ground landing on a bleacher, well maybe it was then she had an idea.

* * *

Ginny crossed her arms as she watched Draco lay on a bed in the hospital wing, he had cut his head open when he had smashed it off several of the wooden benches in the stands. The cut was mainly healed but there was still a nasty looking red scratch across his forehead with small pieces of white medical tape across it vertically in places.

She wondered why none of his friends were here. She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Why am I even here?" she muttered quietly.

"Because its your bloody fault I'm here in the first place." Draco groaned not even bothering to open his eyes. His head was pounding in agony but he slowly sat up feeling a little cold. "Where the hell is my shirt?" he grumbled finally opening his eyes.

"You had a couple bruised ribs so Madam Pomfrey had to take it off." Ginny explained quietly. He could tell by her tone she sort of did think this was her fault. He smirked, let her think that it was because it was true.

"Bet you loved that." Draco said. Ginny's smile faded for once, and her lips turned into a thin line.

"Oh yes Malfoy, while you were bleeding everywhere and unconscience the first thing I was thinking was 'Merlin I hope they take his shirt off!'" she shot at him sarcastically. "Honestly get over yourself." she added.

Draco blinked. Did she actually just say that? Why would he ever want to do that?

"No thanks I'm fine." he yawned. "So are you going to buy me sweets or something? I mean you owe me since this your fault Weasley." he asked, this was his chance he thought triumphantly.

She laughed a little cruelly. "Course it is, how do you figure that Malfoy?"

"Well imagine how confused and disgusted I was when I spotted a Weasley waving at me, I was so disoriented I managed to get these lovely marks." he gestured to his head. "Therefore making it your fault."

Ginny's cheeks went a very discreet shade of crimson. "Well now you know how I felt when I caught you staring at me in the library." she shot back indignantly.

"You didn't look too disgusted." he said truthfully.

"Unlike you Malfoy, I'm not a totally judgmental idiot and since I haven't spoken to you in like two or three years I thought I'd be friendly. I don't treat people differently because of what house their in..unlike you." she said. He was shocked, were there really people who thought like that?

"Why?" he had said without thinking.

"Well..I don't know I guess I don't believe even the Sorting Hat can guess how people are going to turn out. I mean Slytherins could change just as well as anyone else." she shrugged. Her eyes widened a little. "Well I doubt you could change, you seem quite satisfied with being an unsufferable idiot." she added trying to cover her slip up. Draco smirked this was his chance.

"I bet you your wrong." he said. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?" she asked.

"I bet that you wrong because you don't know me. But you are going to get to know me and I'll prove that I'm right" he said stretching a little, his neck feeling insanely stiff, he hated sleeping with large pillows like the Hospital Wing had they made his neck hurt.

"And why the hell would I do that?" she asked in disbelief.

"One, you owe me. And Two if you think that your right then I'll give you two-hundred galleons to make up for your wasted time and if I prove you wrong then your going to do something for me." he said business like.

"Something like what precisely?" Ginny wasn't a total idiot, she knew not to dive into a deal that sounded so sketchy, especially when it was Malfoy that made the offer.

"Nothing cheeky Weasley if that's what your getting at. Nothing you could get in trouble for either so what do you honestly have to loose?" he smirked. She looked rather disgusted.

"Cheeky with you? Thanks for the nightmare prospect." she grimaced. "And my dignity for one. But I do have my eye on a new broomstick that costs five hundred, and I do need only three hundred more galleons." she said, she smirked a little. He glared.

"No way..." he protested.

"Three hundred or no deal." She said her lips in a full on smirk. Draco was surprised how he almost liked her smirk as much as her smile. He groaned and stuck out his hand.

"Fine. Do we have an accord?" he asked. She smiled and shook his large hand with hers, she was startled at how cold it was but nodded.

"It seems we do. I'll meet you in the library at my usual table after classes tomorrow. Feel better soon." she said striding out of the Hospital Wing holding her arm up in the air and waving without turning around at all then letting it drop as she left.

Grimacing Draco let his head fall back down onto the pillow.

"Shit." he mumbled, he had just lost three hundred galleons. And it was his greedy cheapness that had gotten him into this situation in the first place.


	2. Choices and Caves

**..:AN:Hello! I'm sorry this took so long! I have so many ideas for this fic and it all excites me but i've been so busy and writers block is my new torment..lucky me huh? NO MORE EXAMS! dancesHope you likes:..**

* * *

Ginny smiled putting her hands behind her head after finishing telling Luna her deal she had just struck up with Malfoy. 

"Well what do you think he's getting out of it?" Luna asked, they were both stretched out on the stairs for no particular reason snacking on sandwiches they had gotten in the Great Hall and instead of staying there for Lunch were lounging about the stairs to the astronomy tower.

"I have no clue. But I know he thinks I'm a total idiot and there's no particular reason he's doing this." Ginny laughed. "But hey whatever, 300 galleons to me, he can act as much as he wants but he's not fooling anyone." she said confidently taking a bite out of her lunch.

Luna nodded, she still had the large eyes that always twinkled but she had took Ginny's small hint to try a moisturizing treatment when she washed her hair to make it softer and shinier, changing its straw blonde colour into a flattering normal dirty blonde. She was wearing two sets of earrings, normal silver hoops and the infamous raddish ones she had now become quite fond of.

Ginny was much taller then the short Luna, at about five foot nine. She had the same satiny deep red hair as always, layered and to her shoulder blades. She had the average figure but was self conscience about her body like most girls but she didn't let her head dwell on that.

Her skin was light with the infamous Weasley freckles across her cheeks that were light and few. She had a small scar beside her eye from where she had been cut once during a fight with Charlie. Her chocolatey brown eyes were usually warm and she rather liked them.

"Well at least he isn't terribly ugly." Luna shrugged. Ginny smirked.

"No. I cant really say he is." she shrugged. "But if he thinks he's going to make a fool out of me he's got another thing coming." Ginny said with a smile and got to her feet as the ending bell for lunch rung out and they headed for Divination.

* * *

"So did you ask her to Hogsmeade or something yet?" Blaise asked snidely over his shoulder towards Draco during potions. 

"Oh sod off Blaise let me handle this its on a damn need-to-know basis." Draco snapped quietly enough so Snape wouldn't hear. Blaise shook his head with a annoying laugh and went back to his potion.

Draco began to chop at his leeches much more harshly then he meant to, making a slimy, disgusting mess all over his desk.

"Damn Blaise." he thought hatefully. "Damn poker and damn Weasley!" he screamed inside his head. Why had he even agreed to this in the first place? Sure he had bitched about it and tried to get out of it but Blaise wouldn't hear any of it. He wished he could just end this now, maybe if he just snogged Weasley in front of everyone and made it look convincing he'd be off the hook. He started chopping harder turning the dead leeches into a mushed up black mass of slime as he knew it wouldn't be that easy, not when he was dared by another Slytherin.

"You're supposed to cut them Mr. Malfoy not mutilate them." Snape said coldly over his shoulder. "Dispose of these, clean up the mess, get yourself another dozen leeches and finish your potion in the remaining fifteen minutes of class." he said sharply striding off to look at Granger's potion with disgust even though it was perfect.

Draco grumbled picking up his chopping board and scraping the disgusting contents on top into the cauldron for waste that immediately ate the squishy substance. He then cursed Snape just for the hell of it.

He headed back to his seat, picking up a new jar of live leeches and began chopping them up more carefully trying not to think about the fact he'd have to endure Merlin knew how long in the library with Ginny Weasley in just over fifteen minutes.

When his potion finally turned the bright orange colour it was supposed to he put it in the vial with his name on the label and began cleaning up after he had placed it on Snape's desk. To his surprise Snape held him back.

"I need to talk to you Mr. Malfoy. Its rather important." he said quietly. Draco let out an aggravated breath and followed Snape into his office.

Snape's office was as depressing as ever. Sure, Draco was aware he wasn't evil but if this had to be his office Draco figured he was still pretty damn twisted. Snape settled at his desk, steepling his fingers in front of him. Draco watched him boredly and took up the seat across from the disgruntled looking professor.

"Now Mr. Malfoy I don't think I need to tell you what your father has planned for you after your graduation from Hogwarts." He said quietly, as though not wanting to be overheard. Draco nodded and leaned back in the chair, propping up his black leather shoes on the edge of the desk. He had a feeling this was going to be a long conversation.

"No Sir you really don't need to tell me." he said in a dull tone.

"The thing is I can not see you being to enthused about your fathers plans. Lucius has his ways of hearing things he is not meant to, even while we're in Hogwarts. So if you want to pursue this topic you will let me know through Dumbledore and we will schedule a more secretive meeting." he started. Draco shrugged and waited for him to go on.

"I have come up with a way that you do not have to join your father, but there will be consequences and it will be difficult. But if you accept you will not have to serve The Dark Lord." he finished.

Draco watched him for a while. He was a little shaken by the prospect since he himself wasn't even sure what he wanted. The room remained quiet for several minutes, the silence finally broken by the chiming of the odd clock in Snape's office.

"Damn I'm late." Draco sighed angrily getting to his feet. "Er..I'll get back to you Professor." he said as he backed up quickly out of the room and tore off to the library as the clock finished chiming four thirty.

* * *

Ginny yawned and looked up from her doodles boredly. She hadn't intended on staying in the library but if Draco didn't show up soon it would seem this boring waiting had been for nothing. She smirked as a little hopeful thought popped into her mind. 

"Maybe he wont show.." she said smiling to herself, her smile faded as Draco flopped into the chair across from her.

"Sorry I'm late..Snape kept me after potions class." he said sounding out of breath, there was tinge of red to his usually pale, high cheek-bones. Ginny narrowed her eyes and sighed setting her quill down.

"Alright then. Where do you want to go? I really don't intend on staying here." she said, Draco shrugged looking at her doodles. He tried to clear his head, if he was trying to be nice then he decided he had to start now.

He leaned forwards in his chair putting his hand on the scrap piece of parchment and turning it around and looking at it.

"These aren't bad." He said, trying to sound convincing. Ginny snorted a little and snatched it from him.

"My ass they aren't..what do you think that is?" she asked pointing to a small doodle in the corner of the page. Draco narrowed his eyes looking at the oblong-ish, horned cat looking creature and tried to think.

"A chicken?" he asked hopefully. He tried not to smirk when her face split into a smile.

"Nice try. It's supposed to be a cat." she said crinkling up the paper and standing up. She slung her one shoulder bag on and started to leave. Draco blinked and walked quickly and caught up to her.

"Where are you going?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Its spring, its gorgeous outside...can you put two and two together?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Four." he said sternly, to his surprise she laughed.

They walked basically in silence out of the castle, Ginny skidded a little abruptly when she noticed Draco wasn't walking with her anymore. She let out a breath of air and looked down the hallway. She couldn't see him anywhere, she sighed.

"Oh well." she thought. "If he doesn't want to come outside then I'm not going to let him ruin it for me. Probably gone off to snog one of his little Slytherin whores" she smirked, but that fell a little when she heard someone running and Draco shout her name as she was about to open the large doors to the grounds.

She turned around. "Where'd you go?" she asked. Quietly muttering. "Not that I care.."

He raised an eyebrow dangling a small notebook in front of her eyes. Ginny blinked at the small blue covered notebook that had her name in gold in on the front.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked attempting to snatch it out of his hands. Unfortunately she failed due to the fact he was much taller then she was and he was holding it was above her head. She glared. Charlie always used to do this to her when she was younger, but with cookies and she had loathed it even then. But for some reason it didn't irritate her as much as she thought it would.

"Give that back Malfoy" she said placing her hands impatiently on her hips.

"I think a 'Thank you Draco for listening to some random girl saying you dropped something, going back into the library to get this little thing and not even glancing at it. And then bringing it back to you at a quick sprint' is in order Weasley." he smirked. Ginny glared at his grey eyes.

"Your eyes are odd." she said. He blinked.

"What?" he said dropping his arms a little, Ginny smirked and grabbed her book while he was caught off guard and opened the doors. She hopped down the stairs cheerily.

"You heard me!" she finally answered putting the book back in her bag and shaking her head with a smile as she headed off towards the lake. Draco shook his head in confusion and followed after her.

"She's almost as odd as that blonde girl she hangs out with." he thought as he followed her down to the lake.

* * *

"Its too crowded." Ginny sighed. She loved sitting by the dark blue waters usually, sure she never even felt like sticking her feet in since Harry had told her of all the creatures that lived in there, and how deep it really was. But sometimes she'd stick her hand in, just because she knew it wasn't always safe. 

There were many groups of people around the lake, and for the first time it seemed kinda small to her. Ginny pursed her lips a little aggravated, she had been looking forward to sitting by the now over crowded oak tree.

"Crowded? There's like maybe twenty people here." Draco said looking at her curiously.

"I like my space." she muttered. Draco looped his thumbs casually in his back pockets. He understood that. He did too. That's why he had an entire wing to the Malfoy Manor to himself, not to mention refused to share his 'dorm' with anyone. It was also why he ditched his 'mates' a lot. Now that she mentioned it, he was starting to get her a little bit more now. That's why she didn't hang out with like fifteen other girls like most females her age did. He didn't doubt she could have more friends if she wanted to, he made a mental note to ask her about that.

"That's the first thing I've heard you say I can relate to Weasley." he grabbed her elbow and began to lead her away from the lake.

"What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously as he began to lead her past the greenhouses.

"Weasley do you honestly think that's the only lake around here?" he sighed impatiently.

"How would I know?"she confessed following his footsteps carefully as they headed down a steep slope of rocks that headed behind the greenhouses. It was a rocky slope, full of rather dangerous looking jagged rocks covered in a slippery moss.

"Our curfew is in an hour you know that right?" Ginny pressed again, her arms raised a little for balance as she tried to pick a safe route along the rocks. Draco snorted a bit, it appeared he did this every day of his life and was picking his way down the slope casually with his hands in the pockets of his robe.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked. Ginny nodded but as she did she lost her footing on a slippery rock. With quick reflex's Draco turned around and his arms shot out, catching her and setting her down on a safe rock.

Ginny was a little stunned for a moment, but then forced herself to smile.

"That was quick. But yeah you can ask me a question." She said starting back down the slope.

"What do you think is the worst that could happen if you came back after curfew?" he asked, there seemed to be a small pathway on the side of the rock mountain that Hogwarts sat atop. The steep slope at the back of the castle, behind the greenhouses eventually led out to the forbidden forest.

Draco lead her into a small opening in the face of the rock wall. It smelled revoltingly of mildew, and mold but Ginny started to breath mainly through her mouth as she followed the steadily darkening path.

Ginny pulled out her wand, illuminating the path a little better and shrugged.

"Do you want pessimistic Ginny to answer or care-free Ginny?"

"Pessimistic will do fine." he said.

"Well someone could notice we're gone, think you've kidnaped me or we're both dead and they'll send out hounds and beasts and things with search parties and once they find us they'll think we've lost our minds and get expelled?" she suggested. Draco snorted a bit shaking his head.

"I never thought I'd say this but Weasley, you think too much."

"Where are we going?" Ginny finally asked, thinking it was a very overdue question.

"Oh will you shut-" Draco paused. He was just about to be his snappy self again without even thinking. "Er...Will you just wait until we get there? It shouldn't be more then five minutes now." he corrected

They walked in silence the rest of the way. Ginny was smirking, his attitude was slipping and she was noticing. She was so much closer to getting her broom then she thought she would be on the first day. True, Draco hadn't been as big of a git as her brother and company had made him seem. But she wanted that broom badly and if he thought he was going to keep up this charade she wasn't going to be able to get it.

"Say something mean, just to piss him off." she told herself. She sighed angrily a few moments later, someday's she wished she could just be cruel for no reason, but it wasn't in her nature. Not even for someone like Malfoy.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she collided with what seemed like half a solid wall, even more so when Draco collided into her and they both fell through the rest of the opening that started about their middle and started rolling down a grassy slope.

* * *

Draco sat up and spat the grass out of his mouth. He had been planning on trying to reveal this all romantic like. Even if he became 'friends' with Ginny then maybe she could just pretend to be with him and then he'd be set. The bet would be over, course he'd have to give Ginny her money but he was still rich so that was fine by him. 

"Can you get off my hand?" he heard Ginny ask impatiently, he looked beside him to see Ginny pinned against the lush grass wincing a little as her arm was under him. There was a large grass stain on her cheek and her legs that were probably a little more revealed then she would have wanted due to her knee length skirt riding up a bit.

Draco moved carefully off her arm, and smirked waiting for her to start yelling at him. She grumbled on cue and got to her knee's brushing the dirt and grass off of her. She looked through her bag to make sure nothing had fallen out and adjusted her ponytail.

"Smooth.." she mumbled angrily. Draco got to his feet and offered to help her up, which she accepted and looked about.

"Holy shit.." she whistled as she looked around. It was exactly like a smaller version of the lake, with the same oak and birch trees only more secluded. The rocks of the mountain curved around one half of the lake, cutting off the rest of her view of the water. And down the small slope lay the dark, yet not as foreboding Forbidden Forest.

"It's almost the exact same..but better in a way." she smiled setting her bag down and hopping down the small slope to the waters edge.

Draco shrugged. "It's the same lake, it goes underneath the castle and comes out again at the foot of the mountains. Not many people come here though." he said. Ginny nodded and sat down in the grass beside her bag, pulling out a piece of parchment to start her homework.

Draco stood there for a while, thinking to himself.

"Blaise really should have been more specific." he thought to himself. "I mean, sure I can be a semi-decent person at times but not to others. If I don't try and win her over with my 'personality' then I have to agree to be Pansy's boyfriend and I'll loose a hundred galleons." he looked at the top of Ginny's head as she pulled out a text book and started tearing through the pages looking for an answer to her question.

"Sure If I win I loose three hundred, but its for a better cause."he sighed miserably and sat in the grass, leaning back on his elbows lazily. Ginny looked at him cautiously.

"Something wrong?" she asked with a raised brow, biting her bottom lip as she turned back to her work. Draco shook his head and looked at the water boredly.

"There's ten minutes until curfew." he yawned. Ginny shrugged showing that she didn't mind.

"We can just say we got lost." she said closing her textbook and opening a smaller one. Draco reached into her bag and pulled out the blue notebook he had retrieved from the library earlier.

"So what is this thing anyway?" he asked, he held it up between two fingers and twirled it about a little. The gold lettering twinkled in the reddening light of the sky and reflected on his face.

Ginny's cheeks reddened a little and she attempted to snatch it away from him and failed again.

"Give it back." she said angrily pinching his arm tightly with her nails. Draco let out a rather girlish squeal and dropped the book that started sliding down the slope, gaining speed as it went. Ginny let out her squeal and pulled out her wand.

"Immobulus!" she yelled, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as she went and scooped up her unmoving book. When she got back she hit Draco across the head with it.

"Ow!" he yelled, his hand flying up to the back of his head. She glared as she sat back down.

"Moron.." she smirked putting it back in her bag and going back to her other work.

* * *

**..:And a thank you to my comenteers for the last chapter!  
Timra  
MP3  
and Urmi. And of course Celeigh! How couldI leave out her lol..course she didn't comment on here but it still counts! **

Did this layout work alright? Is it easier to read? Im so lsot without my indenting...:..


	3. Cold In Lifes Throws

**..:AN: Sorry it took so long..this writters block is making me want to burn things. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!  
Disclaimer: Song in dream belongs to A.F.I. 'Silver and Cold' Awesome song:..**

* * *

Draco walked into his dorm, tossing his robe onto a sitting chair. He stretched as he looked around his dorm as he thought to himself. He hadn't really thought about Snape's offer when he was with Ginny. In fear of blurting something out, he had a pretty strong feeling that she wouldn't want to carry on with this little plan, much less fall for him if she thought he was going to become a Death Eater.

"So there is a way out then." he muttered to himself, kicking off his dirty leather shoes and cleaning them with a wave of his wand. But did he want it? He collapsed on the side of his bed, leaning with his fingers woven through his silvery-blonde hair. His hands were cold, the one thing about being in the dungeons of the school was it wasn't always to warm.

Without looking up he pointed his wand at the fireplace-fresh with wood-, muttering a fire lighting charm a warmth started to slowly creep into the room. Draco sighed as he thought about his choices.

The thought about not becoming a Death Eater danced around inside his head, starting to make his lips pull into a less-sinister then usual smirk. He got to his feet and pulled out of his trunk his list.

This list was so old now, edges crinkled and ripped, the paper curled from all the times he had rolled it up and stuffed it in his pockets to hide it from view. He had started it when he was nine, he could see the evolution of his writing. From a degree off of chicken scratch, to a now elegant and formal looking cursive. He looked at the first 'con' as it were, on the list, the first thing he realized he'd have to do if he joined his father.

"Kill People." Draco looked at it bitterly, he hadn't been a stupid child. He had never seen his father kill someone, but he had heard the screams from the parlor enough times that they left a deep rut inside his head.

He yawned a little as he rolled back up the list. He decided he would go to Snape after potions the next day since he wasn't meeting Ginny until four thirty he should have enough time. And though he didn't really enjoy thinking it, if he had to stand her up then he would. If she knew the reasons she probably would understand.

"No. Don't even think for a moment your going to tell her. Once this bet is over and you loose, she'll tell you how she can be happy all the time and satisfy that lingering question. Then she'll be gone. But Blaise's bet was going to interfere. He would have to try about ten times harder to be nice if he was going to get her to agree to pretend to be his girlfriend. Blaise had made it specific what he wanted to see."

"I want to see her on cloud nine, she's going to have to be completely obsessed with you mate. And I want everyone else to see it too.." Blaise's voice echoed inside his head. What if he didn't go through with it? He could just tell Blaise he didn't care, tell Pansy there was no way in hell and give Blaise his damn money. He groaned as he continued to think, he was getting a migraine.

Giving up he climbed into his bed and fell into a deep sleep on top of the covers, still in his day clothes.

* * *

Draco stirred as he dreamed, images running through his head. 

A little red headed girl with straight hair, a bright yellow elastic with snitches pulled it away from her round little cheeks. She was jumping rope and singing.

"Cold in life's throws, I'll fall asleep for you Cold in life's throws, I only ask you turn away Cold in life's throws, I'll fall asleep for you Cold in life's throws, I only ask you turn As they seep... into me, oh, my beautiful one..." She turned and looked directly at Draco. Who was watching her in a stone hallway, perplexed by the small child and her unearthly voice.

"Now." She finished. The image swirled into a stream of colours until it shattered and Draco was left standing on the side of the lake he had taken Ginny to today. And she was walking into the waters, dressed in a flowing gown of white with sleeves that dragged in the grass and the waters. The image flickered and sped up and Draco was now facing her and she was slowly starting to be pulled down by watery hands into the water. She was screaming, reaching her hand out to Draco to help her but he couldn't hear her. When he started to climb into the water to help her escape he was thrown back, he looked up to see his father standing over him. His eyes alive with rage. The little girl was standing on his opposite side looking over him as well, jump-rope in hand.

"...And I'll beg for forgiveness." She whispered, Lucius's head snapped up and he raised his cane high over his head, about to strike the little girl. Draco couldn't see but he could hear her screams as the sky turned red and began to rain down oil.

The images flickered again and Draco felt nauseous as his dream self was thrown into the center of a circle, the oil-rain still pouring down from the sky. He was surrounded with men in black robes, and white masks. Streams of oil running down the masks like tears.

Voldemort held his hand out to Draco, to help him to his feet. Draco felt something hard in his hands, something solid, something that felt a lot like a knife. Without a second thought he plunged the knife into the creatures ghastly white hands. Oil seeped out, as Voldemort's face twisted in agony and fury.

Changed scene again. There was a table, in an old black house. There were people sitting around it. A man with a wolf for a face, Dumbledore with a large sword on a horse, a woman with looked like chewed bubble gum dripping down from her hair and onto her clothes. There were two people dressed like paupers, but they were glowing like angels with red hair. There was a person with two heads, both heads completely different but laughing at each other.

There was another man with a ponytail for a face, long and swaying to and fro, his hand a dragons claw. Four people were left, another man who's hands were holding onto gold coins, but his hands would fade as he tried to grasp them. A boy his age who's face was blurred, with a large hole in his chest, it was leaking out oil.

Another boy who was taller, his face warped and twisted, his slanted mouth chewing and he was in a large shadow that seemed to disappear and flicker. Then all that was left was a girl, she glowed and seemed to make the other boys shadow shrink.

Draco looked down to his side to see the girl with the jump rope beside him, He could only see her left side.

"Things that are and things that will be, none of them can hide from me." she sung softly. She turned to him and Draco saw the right side of her skull was shattered, oozing oil that stained her bright yellow dress and small shoes.

Draco looked on the center of the table, to see Ginny. Soaking wet, not moving and laid out carefully so she looked as though she was sleeping in the flowing white gown. Her skin was a deathly white-blue and she was coughing violently.

Draco ran towards her but he was behind a glass wall, he watched as his father appeared in the room and held a hand over Ginny's mouth. Ginny started to move so she could breathe, but Lucius's clasp was firm and he didn't let go until her head stopped moving and her hands seemed to loose their strength and her fingers uncurled.

Draco screamed and pounded with all his might at the glass, his hands beginning to bleed as the glass slowly started to shatter and crack. The image began to disappear and Draco woke up covered in a cold sweat.

* * *

Ginny walked into the Gryffindor common room the next morning, she yawned tiredly. They hadn't gotten back until nightfall the night before and she hadn't been able to get any dinner. She was starved and dying to get back to that lake. 

Neville met her at the bottom of the stairs, his round face held a rather cheery smile that made her lips pull into a smile as well.

"Morning Gin." he said, Trevor squirming in his hands.

"Good morning Neville. Sleep well?" she asked as they headed out of the portrait hole and down towards the Great Hall. Neville nodded and was looking at her nervously.

"Where were you last night? Luna and me looked for you everywhere." he asked suspiciously. Ginny sighed and ran her hand through her hair as they entered the Great Hall. Neville was great and usually very understanding, but this was a different situation. After all it was Malfoy, who had bullied him countless times and caused him to hurt his wrists in his first year.

"Oh, I was in the library..I had a lot of work to do." she said, she felt bad lying but Neville would go ballistic on her. They sat down at the Gryffindor table and Ginny indulged in a gigantic cinnamon bun dripping with gooey white icing.

"That looks healthy." Neville chuckled pilling some eggs onto his plate. Ginny looked down at her breakfast, feeling a little guilty but pushed the thought aside Luna waved from the Ravenclaw table and winked subtly at Ginny. Ginny waved back and took a bite of her cinnamon bun.

"I can indulge." she shrugged. Neville snorted a little into his pumpkin juice but just shook his head. She thought about what classes she had first, wondering if she had a lot of homework when a letter plopped down in front of her with the morning post.

"Who's that from?" Neville asked. Ginny sat down her cinnamon bun, wiped off her hand on a napkin and tore off the small green ribbon.

"Same Place After School. Like You Have Anything Better To Do...This Note Sounds Rather Cheeky Doesn't It?" There was no signature but it was obvious who it was from. Ginny smirked and tucked it into her pocket. She looked up at the Slytherin table to see Malfoy looking at her and she gave him the most subtle nod possible.

"So..." Neville pressed on. Ginny took another bite of her unbalanced breakfast and shrugged.

"Just mum." she said through swallowing wondering how long she'd have to keep this lying up. The worst part was, she was starting to not feel so guilty about lying to Neville.

* * *

Draco watched her enter the great hall out of the corner of his eye, perplexed again by the small smile she had on her face. It took all he had to not stare at it the other day. As much as he hated to admit it he found simple smiles like that one of the most enticing things he had ever come across. 

"Draco?" said a small voice in his ear. He looked up to see Pansy waving at him, she had obviously made Crabbe move over and taken his spot beside Draco. Draco muttered under his breath and dropped his fork, suddenly losing his appetite.

"What Parkinson?" he snapped. Her overly swollen lips went into a disgusting pout which gave Draco an overwhelming urge to stab at them with a pin and see if they would deflate.

"Fine, if your going to be that way. I'll let you read the owl your father sent us later." she said her eyes turning to narrow slits. Draco snarled and ripped the piece of parchment out of her hands.

"Your joking. Parkinson this isn't funny." he said, his face turning a pale shade of green.

"You idiot I know its not. It's wonderful!" she said leaning on her elbows and looking up at him. "To think your father would start planning this early." she said. Draco glared at her and ripped the letter to shreds and tossed them in the pitcher of pumpkin juice. Quickly he got to his feet and stormed out of the Great Hall.

* * *

**..:An: The dream sequence was supposed to be written like it was rushed, if your wondering. Like nothing really makes sense and things happen to quickly for him to grasp onto. Anyways i hope you liked it! Read and Review please! gives you all chocolate easter eggs painted in red and green for G/D:..**


	4. What You Want

**..:AN: Hello! Im so bored, so i may have quite a few updates today. We'll see. Hope you likes:.

* * *

**

Ginny looked at Luna who motioned her head towards the door. Ginny shrugged and to her surprise Luna got up and came over to her at the Gryffindor table.

"Go." She whispered quietly enough so Neville, who was talking to Ron at the moment, wouldn't hear. Ginny blinked and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Go where?" she whispered back. Luna looked at her with her large eyes like she was a complete idiot.

"After him, go see what's wrong." Luna continued. Ginny snorted a little.

"Why would I do something like that?" she asked in bewilderment. Luna pressed on with the annoying gaze.

"Because I'm nosy and you know that, and if he snaps at you to leave him be BAM there's your money." she pressed on giving her a slight nudge. Ginny sighed looking down at her half eaten cinnamon roll and glared at Luna as she got out of her seat and left the Great Hall quietly.

"Where's she off too?" Neville asked. Luna shrugged and stood up, intending to go back to her table.

"I think she left something in the library." she said simply and smiled and Neville before walking back to her house table.

* * *

Ginny sighed running a hand through her hair as she looked at all the different passages she could take in order to find Draco. She cursed a little as she heard the sound of many footsteps and scraping of benches coming from the Great Hall signaling that classes would soon start. She shrugged and went with Luna to her Divinations class.

"Did you find him?" Luna whispered anxiously. Ginny shook her head.

"No I didn't have enough time, but I know where I can." she shrugged as they trudged up the stairs.

As they settled into the comfy arm chairs Luna smiled happily, she loved Divination for some odd reason Ginny could never fathom, and she excelled in this class above all others.

"What are we doing today?" Ginny asked, yawning in the lightly lit classroom. She hated it because it was always so stiffingly hot in here she wanted to open every window in the place.

Luna shrugged pulling back her blonde hair and securing it with a very disgusting looking spiked stick. Ginny stared at it for quite a while. It reminded her of a stick with thorns, it was making her eyebrow twitch a little and she slapped her hand over eye.

"What's wrong?" Luna asked. Ginny smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

The class was nothing out of the usual. Ginny read Luna's palm and Luna read Ginny's. They had to do sketches of the loops on their fingers and what it symbolized. All very ordinary, all very boring. The rest of the day went that way but there was a bit of a buzz in the school since Malfoy hadn't been to any of his classes and no one could seem to find him.

At lunch Ginny took up a seat beside Colin Creevey, who was eating a raw carrot in a quite beaver-like fashion. Ginny laughed a little but to her surprise, she was a little worried about Malfoy.

"Did you hear about double potions being canceled?" Colin asked excitedly. Ginny's jaw dropped, never had any of her classes been cancelled unless due to emergencies.

"No I didn't. Are you sure?" she asked. She grabbed a napkin and pointed her wand at it, transfiguring it into a paper bag underneath the table and began shoving sandwich halves and other foods into it. "Dumbledore just announced it before you came in, if you would stop being late for once. He said Snape had some things to attend to." He shrugged. Ginny smirked.

"Thanks Colin." she said ruffling his hair to annoy him and leaving the Great Hall.

"Oy!" he yelled after he, disgustedly trying to adjust his now messy hair.

* * *

Draco was laying at the edge of his lake watching the water ripple as the warm breeze washed over him. He had calmed a little but he was still aghast to the center of his core. He loathed his parents, but mostly his father.

He used to try and please his father when he was younger but he had given up long ago. But now, he was debating whether to even go back to the school and just stay here forever. The water was calling him, he longed to swim in it but as he looked at it he shivered remembering his dream. He never thought even his mind could come up with something as disturbing as that. He sighed lowering his head into the lush grass, he was exhausted, the letter from his parents weighing on his mind.

Who ever would have thought his parents would start nagging at him and Pansy to get engaged already? There were few precious months before he had to leave Hogwarts, so little time for him to make up his mind about what he was going to do.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone sitting down beside him, and the smell of food drafting over to him, that and the smell of vanilla. He didn't even open his eyes he just yawned, to his surprise he felt a little better knowing for some reason she came to find him, bearing food. He was starving and that vanilla smell was driving him mad.

"What could the house elves have made that could possibly smell that amazing?" he asked, folding his arms behind his head.

Ginny opened the bag she brought and looked into the food she filled it with.

"Cinnamon buns? There my absolute favourite thing they make. But that's basically the only other thing that would smell any good." she said.

"No not that, I smell vanilla." he said sitting up and opening his eyes. He looked at Ginny who was blushing a little.

"That's my perfume.." she laughed handing him the bag. "I thought you might be hungry since you left so abruptly this morning." he took it from her thankfully, a little shocked that she had come looking for him.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out, she looked at him a little taken aback but he continued. "I mean aren't you going to get in shit for cutting class?" he asked, watching the sun make golden streaks in her hair.

She shook her head holding onto her knees. "Potions was canceled today. Supposedly Snape had some matters to attend to." she explained. Draco cursed remembering his meeting he was supposed to have after school with Snape, that was canceled and now probably he would receive a weeks detention.

He noticed Ginny was looking at him with something he'd never seen before. Her lips were in a tight line and her brow creased a little. He looked at her curiously wondering what to say to break the comfortable silence but she did it for him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, he now picked up on the look from her tone. She was concerned. He was quite bewildered by this, he had never had anyone ask him that and mean it before.

"Your giving me a chance aren't you? I mean really giving me a chance to prove I'm not who you think I am." he asked, and to his surprise her face split into a small smile and she nodded.

"I guess I am." she confessed. "But what happened this morning? What's going on?" she pressed on. Draco sighed laying back in the grass, she looked down at him leaning on one hand.

"I don't want to bother you with it okay?" he muttered. Ginny shook her head.

"I'm not settling for that, I'm giving you a chance and I'm treating you like a friend. I want to help." she said. Ginny winced inwardly a little wondering if she really did. Wasn't she supposed to be trying to piss him off so he would give her the money? She looked at his grey eyes and she could see behind them was a deeply troubled person. Then she realized she really did want to help.

"You've heard the rumors about myself and my family haven't you?" he asked, closing his weary eyelids again.

"Yes."

"Then you know my father's a Death Eater and serves Voldemort like a lap dog." he continued.

Ginny swallowed, a little disturbed. Watching him lay there, talking about so much evil so calmly. What had this person been exposed to over his life? She shuddered to think about it.

"Yes." she answered again.

"Then you know my father has plans for me. Expects me to become a Death Eater."

"Yes." she answered looking out to the lake and shuddering a little. It didn't seem to have the same warmth it had yesterday when he had taken her here.

"Well I got word today that he bought me and Parkinson a house in the South of France and has started planning our wedding, which is to be held right after my Death Eater initiation." he explained. Ginny watched the same greenish colour return to his cheeks.

Draco waited through the silence again. Expecting her to turn and run, to tell all her friends that they were right and that she believed he was going to be a Death Eater. He expected her to believe he was evil, even though he knew he wasn't.

"Is it what you want?" her voice said. shattering into his thoughts. He sat up and looked at her confused.

"What?" he asked. She shifted a little, she looked troubled and he noticed she was looking at him worriedly.

"Is it what you want? To follow your father, to follow Voldemort and to marry Pansy?" she asked. She picked at the grass a little, small grass stains forming on her small white socks that her black shoes didn't cover.

Draco shrugged looking at the water, repressing another shiver as he remembered his dream.

"I don't know." he said honestly. Ginny nodded and laid back down in the grass, Draco doing the same both watching the white wisps of clouds drift by.

* * *

"I can't do it." Ginny confessed to Luna in Divination the next morning. There were circles under her eyes and she looked like she had barely gotten any sleep.

"Can't do what?" Luna inquired, finishing up her sketch of Ginny's life line. Ginny adjusted her ponytail, trying to stifle a yawn.

"I can't cheat Draco into making him give me the money. I can't do it." she said truthfully, Luna gaped at her.

"Why not! Gin it's the perfect deal!" she said, Trelawney shot her a dirty look for raising her voice so she leaned over. "What happened to make you change your mind?" Ginny sighed and leaned over, her elbow resting against one of the many candles that filled the room.

"I never expected it, his dads arranging him to get married after he receives the Dark Mark."

"What!" Luna yelled. Ginny jumped, her elbow knocking over the candle that lit the dark corner of the room which toppled onto her backpack setting it alight quickly. Ginny screamed and jumped out of her chair whipping out her wand and dousing the flames that were spreading on the carpeted floor with a large stream of water.

"Move aside! Move aside!" came Trelawney's shrill voice as she pushed aside the crowd of people that had moved to the far side of the room to avoid the flames. Ginny didn't remember what happened next, she just remembered staring at her bag, horrified with wide eyes.

"Miss Weasley! Are you alright? How's your leg..you better get to the hospital wing quickly. I foresaw danger for today, but I didn't think one of my students would have gotten injured. Miss Lovegood will you escort Miss Weasley to the hospital wing?" Luna nodded.

"Injured..right." Ginny said pursing her lips, she just looked at her bag on the verge of tears. She carefully bent to pick it up and that's when she felt the pain in her right leg. Looking down she saw her skin was black and cracked a little and bleeding quite a bit. She winced and grabbed a hold of the soaked bag and grabbing onto Luna's arm for support they began to hobble down to the hospital wing.


	5. Charred Pages

**..:An: Chapter five. Hope you like it! Please read and review:..

* * *

"I cant believe it." Ginny said sadly looking at the blue notebook Draco had saved from the library in front of her. It was singed, completely ruined, all the pages were wrecked and curling from the flames. Ginny would never light another candle again.**

"Oh Gin I'm so sorry!" Luna said sadly looking down at her leg, covered in a white bandage and smelling strongly of green tea.

"GINNY!" said someone from the door. Ginny looked up to see Ron, Hermione and Harry running into the Hospital Wing.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Ginny said forcing herself to smile.

"Oh Ginny." Hermione said sadly looking at her journal. "Your songs..." she said hugging her. Ginny nodded and hugged Hermione back taking a deep breath.

"Her what?" Harry asked, looking around as though he was missing something.

"Ginny writes songs." Luna said holding onto her friends shoulder. "She's been writing in that journal since..." she started but paused thinking it was a touchy subject. Ginny sighed bitterly.

"Since my 'adventure' in my first year." She said quietly.

"I don't get it, what would writing songs have to do with The Chamber of.." Ron stopped as Hermione smacked him sharply on the arm.

"Never mind it's not important. Are classes over?" Ginny asked. They all nodded and with a sigh she got to her feet. "I'm going to go rest, thanks for coming guys." she said forcing herself to smile again. She scooped up her journal and quickly left the Hospital Wing.

As she walked down the hallway she felt the tears start to make her eyes hurt, she closed her eyes as she walked to try and keep them from falling, she opened them when she started to hear voices.

"So how's it going with Weasley?" said a voice. Ginny blinked and backed away a little further from the corner and began to listen, her jaw dropped as she heard Draco's voice.

"Fine. Would you lay off it okay? She'll soon fall for me, but these things take time..especially when it's not a Slytherin girl." he snapped. Ginny could have slapped herself, or more then likely slapped Draco.

"So your going to win the bet then?" said the other voice, Ginny peeked around the corner to see Draco leaning with his arms crossed against the wall talking to Blaise Zambini.

"Yes I'll win the damn bet. Not that it even matters anymore since my fathers planning my wedding anyway." he said bitterly. Zambini made a noise of mock sympathy.

"We can come to new terms Draco but the bet still stands. The little Weaslette doesn't fall for you, then I get your broom collection."

"My what!" Draco roared angrily.

"Your broom collection. Oh and I get to be your best man." he laughed.

"Burn in hell Zambini." spat Draco and strode off, Zambini sniggering, left the opposite direction. Ginny savored the look on Draco's face when he saw her glaring at him with her arms crossed over a burnt book.

"Afternoon Malfoy." she said coldly. Draco cursed.

"Ginny let me explain." he started, Ginny smirked coldly, shaking her head.

"Let me explain something to you Malfoy. I can do without the broom, and our little 'pact' is broken. I was sorry of what your parents are putting you through and I was starting to believe that you weren't who I thought you were. But you go and pull a stunt like this." she was started to get angry, her posture rigid and her eyes alive with a cynical fire.

"No one makes a fool out of me Malfoy. No one. Keep your damn money I don't want it. I hope your brooms were very expensive and you'll miss them dearly." she said coldly as she began to stalk off. Draco sighed and grabbed her wrist but was swiftly rewarded with a powerful smack from the burnt book she was holding. When he looked she was gone, the charred book laying at his feet.

* * *

Ginny slammed the door to her dormitory angrily. She sat on her bed her and glared at everything her eyes fell on.

"What a prick..." she thought. "To think someone's ego could be so big to think they could make someone fall in love with them! And to think he would be so stupid to just agree to a bet like that! I was kind to him too.." Ginny thought, but then a little voice popped up in her head.

Was she not constantly trying to think of ways to get him angry so he'd snap at her? So she could win and get her money-well his money. Ginny sighed and let her head rest in her hands, until she gasped as she remembered in her fury she had left her song book on the ground, in front of Draco. Letting out a sound of anger she fell backwards onto her bed and put the pillow on top of her face to scream into.

Draco sat in his dorm, flipping through the charred book. He recognized from the curling gold letters on the front it was the book he had saved from the library and returned to her. He had never guessed what was inside it, he was trying to repair it to read what I said. But from random words he could gather and the layout of the pages it was either a poem or song book.

He sighed as he found the page with the least damage, that was just covered in black and attempted a repairing charm. To his surprise the black washed away to reveal the yellow colour of parchment, the writing was a little smudged, with some small doodles in the corner and some bits of the contents scratched out and re-written but it was still easy to read. And the Title still said

"Odd Eyes." and it hit him like a brick.

'They say eyes can tell everything  
About the people that lay behind

They say they can show what people think  
But these eyes they make me blind  
They're muddled with confusion and mingled with dark fears  
Behind them lies a person who's confused and crying  
Behind them is a person who wouldn't know what to do with tears  
And I am deeply afraid that in the inside this persons dying

Grey eyes like stone, Grey like stormy skies  
Yet sometimes they turn silver and I begin to see  
See through his facade, through his lies  
See what this person will turn out to be  
I see fear, and I see hate He feels cold and shadows that wont withdraw  
There's a world of happiness that's shut him out with a gate  
He's lost in a whirlwind of tradgedy I want to help I want to try  
But yet he doesn't seem to have faith in me  
Hopefully he'll stop these lies

They say eyes can tell everything  
About the people that lay behind  
They say they can show what people think  
But these eyes they make me blind'

"Damn." he cursed. So she really did want to help him, and she really did care. But then again how would he have known that? Draco knew he hadn't ever trusted anyone really, so why would he trust someone that quickly.

Draco mentally slapped himself, because in all his life he hadn't felt like he could trust anyone as much as he could trust Ginny. He was astounded that she could write, he hadn't any idea. But before he could ask her anything about this he had to try and make her understand. But his ego stopped him from writing anything just yet, except for seeing when the next Hogsmeade trip was on his calender and began writing something else.

* * *

Ginny rubbed her leg, a week had passed and though the skin had healed it was rather itchy and whenever she scratched it too hard it sent a hot pain up her leg. Madam Pomfrey it was the healing potions way of telling her to be careful with her new skin because it was still highly sensitive, and to avoid any more candles.

Ginny sat in the students bathing rooms. It was a large room, one for girls and one for guys at the far side of the castle. In the center was a large golden bin of countless fluffy white towels of many different sizes, terry cloth bathrobes and different types of shampoos, conditioners, soaps and bubble baths. Students went into separate rooms depending on whether they wanted showers or baths, either way they got an entire room to themselves for as long as they wanted.

However Ginny had to always apply a bright pink cream to her leg before she bathed to avoid her skin from wrinkling and had to wait ten minutes for it to dry thoroughly. She sighed looking at the clock and went into one of the empty rooms.

It was spotless, a simple white coloured marble floor like all the other rooms with some candles on a small table built into the wall. There was another table beside the bath for towels and other things, and the large claw foot tub stood on a small dias. Ginny sighed and tossed her stuff onto the hooks and began drawing her bath. Filling it with a vanilla smelling bubble bath and slid in.

She had cooled off a little, but was still rather livid at Draco. But she had decided that the best thing to do was just drop the subject and not give it too much thought. But unfortunately for her, that wasn't as easy as she had hoped. Whether it was the feeling of betrayal or the plain fact that she missed Draco even a little she couldn't tell.

Ginny took a deep breath before sinking lower into the claw foot tub and submerging her head under the water. Little flecks of light covered the surface, she kept her eyes shut tightly to avoid the sting of soap in her eyes.

When she surfaced again she began to wash her hair, looking at the bright pink in the water that was her burnt leg. Biting her lip she felt tears weld up in her eyes again, she had began to write her songs again on pieces of parchment but it wasn't the same. She always loved how she could carry them around with her, disguised as a normal book. But more like a journal or a diary with hidden secrets and the ability to put all of her thoughts into something.

Ginny could sing a little, but no more then average and the only time she did is when she was by herself at home or quietly when she was just seeing how a verse sounded. She never made the songs for singing, just for writing and her own enjoyment.

But now they were all gone. From her thoughts about Tom Riddle, to how she had gotten over Harry, to how she felt sorry for Draco, all gone. Ginny took a deep breath and began to rinse out her hair, tears slipping from her eyes and falling into the steaming bath water.


	6. Foolish

**..:AN: I'm so sorry about how long this is taking me! I mean i wrote this VERY short bit ages ago and i haven't added to it since, its driving me mad! I'm so sorry but please bare with me:..

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Draco tossed an armful of expensive brooms onto the floor in front of Zambini, who jumped surprisingly from his sleep.

"Take them." Draco said, his eyes livid and his tone colder then usual. Zambini looked on the ground to see several Firebolts, Nimbus 2000's, and Nimbus 2001's. Obviously a collection more expensive then he had ever owned himself.

"So you lost the bet then?" Blaise asked, picking up a sleek broom and running his hand down it admiringly.

"Whatever, I realized my fathers already planning my wedding to Pansy so you have no bargaining tool anymore Zambini. You win. I don't care." he said walking out of the common room.

"Realized the Weasel was too good for you did you? That she was too disgusted with a bloke like you to ever think of you as anything Malfoy?" Zambini shouted after him. It was then that Draco stopped in his tracks, went back to where Zambini was sitting, picked him up by the collar and hurled him across the room in a fit of rage.

* * *

Ginny sighed, walking with her arm linked to Luna's who was talking merrily about her new horoscope. It was a cold spring morning, the morning fog still hung low on the ground and the small breeze was chilly.

Ginny shivered as the wind whipped at her skirt, she was so sick of wearing skirts, she couldn't think of one good thing about them. Besides the fact the white cloth wrapping around her leg stood out even more against the dark robes. She wrapped the cloak tighter around her as her and Luna went into The Three Broomsticks.

"Is your leg hurting?" Luna asked as Ginny winced as she sat down at one the tables. Ginny shrugged and made sure her cloak was covering her legs.

"Just the cold makes it sting." she said, Luna nodded and went to go get the drinks.

Ginny leaned back in her chair, watching people going about their business. She saw Harry, Hermione and Ron enter and they all waved at her with a smile, she smiled and waved back. When Luna came back Ginny took her hot chocolate gratefully and let it warm her fingers.

"Ginny, look." Luna whispered gesturing slightly to the counter. Ginny looked and saw the back of Malfoy's head, when he turned to leave she saw there were several scratches on his cheek and it was severely bruised. He had a large paper bag in his hand, which was also scratched up on the knuckles. He cast a glance at her and she looked down at her drink, wishing him to leave since it was taking all of her will to not throw her steaming drink in his face.

"I heard he got in a huge fight with Blaise Zambini." Luna said in a whisper. Ginny looked at her and shrugged.

"Why?" she asked curiously. Luna shrugged, her eyes twinkling like usual.

"I heard the Slytherins talking, they said he gave Zambini his broom collection and Zambini made some smart remark and Malfoy went mad. He tossed Zambini across the room and they got into a huge fight, they didn't even use their wands it was just fists. Neither of them got in trouble though, Snape didn't really do anything about it." Luna shrugged. Ginny nodded watching the whipped cream melt and turn the hot chocolate a lighter brown colour.

"I wish Zambini would have cracked Malfoy's skull open." Ginny said a little louder then she intended, she then noticed Draco leaving quickly, his posture rigid, the door slamming behind him.

"I think he heard you." Luna said. Ginny looked to the door and pulled a bit of hair behind her ear.

"I don't care." she replied, taking a large sip of her drink. Luna smirked and laughed a little.

"You idiot, yes you do. You knew there was a reason behind his little pact the entire time, and now you know. You knew there was something fishy about it but you still dove into it. Honestly did it really surprise you that much Ginny?"

"I don't know, the fact he thought he could make me fall in love with him is just so stupid. Who is honestly that egotistical? Its ridiculous! The bet itself didn't really surprise me." she confessed. Luna was giving her the most ridiculous look she had ever seen and it was making her angry.

"Ginny everyone knows, you most of all that Malfoy does what he wants, why would he take a bet that seriously. Did he really act like he was trying to make you fall for him the time you spent with him?" she asked. Ginny sighed and shook her head.

"I guess not." Ginny confessed. Luna laughed and shook her head. "What now?"

"Your so naive!" Luna laughed. "You said it was like you two were becoming friends, did you even think for a second that's why he went through with the bet? From what you've told me it doesn't sound like he has any friends at all."

Ginny sat in her chair, feeling more dense at every suggestion Luna had made since they had gotten there. She tried to prove to herself that Luna was wrong but it really wasn't working. Her eyes widened as she realized that the bet must have had something to do with Pansy.

"But his father is already arranging his wedding to Pansy!" she thought to herself. "And if that was all that Zambini was holding against him he could have ended the pact with me at any time after he got the letter. But he hadn't wanted to see me that day too." Ginny groaned and let her head fall onto the table. It turned out that it wouldn't be Malfoy, but Luna that made a fool out of her.

* * *

Ginny sighed settling into one of the large arm chairs in the Gryffindor Common Room, as close to the fire as she dared. She folded her legs under her, wincing slightly and pulling her homework out of her new bag. She glared at it, it was a ugly brown, worn sac that had belonged to her brother.

Opening her textbook she began to take her notes pledging herself not to get dragged down into the bore that was potions homework. The strange thing was one of the younger teachers was filling in for Snape for a while now and he seemed to have no idea what he was doing.

As much as Ginny detested Snape she was wondering where he was. Dumbledore hadn't really said much about why their potions teacher was gone but as par usual at Hogwarts rumors where running wild. Ginny's favourite had to be the one where he had finally met someone and he was off in the Bahamas on a romantic get away.

Trying not to laugh at the thought Ginny continued her homework quietly looking up briefly as the fire made a loud cracking noise but then returned her glance to her sheet of parchment trying to figure out the tricky formulas.


	7. Ring Around The Rosy

**..:AN: Hello Hello. Sorry about the long update, i didn't get to edit this, no time and what not. BETA! IM DESPERATE FOR ONE! Just simple word editing and such. HOPE YOU LIKES!

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Draco looked to the left of him, scanning the air for any shimmer or glimpse of gold that would be give him the slightest hint of the where the Snitch would be. He cursed rather loudly, the downpour of rain was really not improving his chances of wining. Slytherin was ahead of Hufflepuff in the last few matches before it was decided who was to win the Quidditch Cup. Even though Slytherin was tied with Ravenclaw and Gryffindor was in the lead they still had a chance to catch up.

Draco sat hovering in the air his hair being plastered to his forehead in the torrential rain.

He could hear the cheering down in the bleachers but it was slowly being out by the slight ringing in his ears that the continuous water draining into them was causing.

He looked down to the ground scanning for any glint of gold, it was then he saw a lonesome figure watching from beside the lake. Even in the grey sky and blurriness caused by the rain he recognized the figure and the bright, wavy red hair.

She was watching him and it suddenly made him rather angry.

"What the hell does she think she's doing? Watching to see if I get killed?" he muttered spitefully. He turned his broom away from her and his eyes widened as he saw the snitch right in front of him then zoom off towards the ground. Draco leaned in chasing after it speedily, darting right in its trail.

Draco cursed as the wind blew and sent a gust of water in his face, he blinked through the water and sped up locking his fingers around the momentarily disoriented snitch. But as he saw the red headed figure now running into the stadium staggered a little and managed to collide straight into the Ravenclaw stands.

* * *

"He's being rather clumsy lately isn't he?" Luna asked, looking down at the unconscience form that was Malfoy. He was now dry and cozy in a white linen bed in the Hospital Wing, a white sling on his left arm. 

Ginny nodded letting out a breath of air, looking down at him was making her angry but she knew nobody else was going to be here to visit him and for some reason she thought she might as well tell him what happened.

From what Ginny had seen he had been chasing the snitch, practically drowning in the air, and once he caught the snitch he collided rather harshly with the side of the Ravenclaw's stands. According to Madam Pomfrey he had a fractured arm she could fix it in a couple days, but also a mild concussion.

"He doesn't usual run into things this often. Maybe he's getting sick or something." Ginny suggested.

"Or maybe he's just depressed and its getting him distracted." Luna shrugged. She was wearing the Ravenclaw colours proudly, Ginny and herself had dried their hair and robes with simple charms but both were feeling tired and cold.

"I think I'm going to head to dinner. You coming?" asked Luna, large fairy earring dangling from her earlobes. Ginny shook her head looking down at the white bandage on her leg.

"No I don't think so, I'm going to check with Madam Pomfrey about my leg. I really want to get rid of this bandage, it looks ghastly." Ginny sighed and waved goodbye to Luna as she sat down on the bed beside Draco.

"When's Madam Pomfrey going to come back?" she mumbled to herself sitting down on one of the beds. She sighed and piled up a couple pillows getting comfy, laying back and watching the sun shine through the long rectangle windows.

It glistened on the polished marble floor, off the brass parts of the bed and on Draco's hair of all things. It glistened like silver and gold sparkles near his temple and on the top of his head. Whether it was the mix of dancing sunlight or the cozy interior of the room itself Ginny drifted off to sleep quickly.

* * *

Draco stirred in his sleep, his large hand slipping over the side of the bed and his closed eyes appeared to be squinting his lids together. Across from him Ginny made a small noise and turned onto her side her hand clutching onto the pillow fearfully as their dreams plagued them. 

_"Ring around the Rosy, pocket full of pensive thoughts and tears." _

_Ginny dressed in a white dress of satin that was several feet too long for her and dragged behind her was spinning in the middle of the room, the dress was soaked as was she, water covering her eyes, her wet hair slapping her in the face. _

_"Rosy loves to dance and play, through the days and many years"_

_Draco watched from a chair, covered in spikes they were driving into his skin, making rivets of blood stream down his arms and legs. He watched her spin, trying to maneuver out of the chair without killing himself. All he could see was the shadow swimming below them, underneath the glass floor of the circular room, graceful as it was he could sense a menacing threat. It was swimming great circles around Ginny and it wasn't getting any further away. _

_"Rosy longed for things she couldn't believe in and it made her cry."_

_Ginny knew the rest of the rhyme and she couldn't stop spinning, she could see someone out of the corner of her eye. A friend, someone she knew wanted to help her but she couldn't stop spinning. _

_She knew what rhymed with cry, she saw the creature circling her from below and she could understand the poem. But she had to fight it, she had to stop. No, it couldn't end this way. Her muscles ached, her head pounded and her eyes were blurry. _

_"Just say it." she told herself, then it'll end. _

_She opened her lips and tried to call out but an invisible force seemed to slap her across the face, she could see the shadow coming up quickly, she felt the jolt as it contacted the floor. She heard the glass crack. _

_Terror flooded her mind, it was coming for her. The pain she felt from the slap was nothing to what she was about to receive, and she knew that. Letting the slaps tear at her from all directions she screamed out a name and jolted awake._

* * *

"Draco!" She screamed as soon as she woke up to see she was sitting up right. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were stinging, catching her breath she looked down from the ceiling to see Draco was awake and upright as well. 

"I hate riddles." he sighed letting his head fold in his hand. Before she could blinks he realized he had been in the dream with her, she went to his side and sat down at his feet.

"What was that?" she asked. He looked up, she watched him stare beside her nose for a while.

"Your crying you know." he said quietly. Ginny sighed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"I know." she lied, she still felt a little woozy. "But what was that?"

"I don't know, but I've had them before." he said raking a shaky hand through his hair. Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat.

"About me?" she wondered allowed. He nodded and sat back on the bed, propping up some pillows to make himself comfortable. Ginny looked behind her to see her mount of pillows were scattered all over the floor.

"I have no idea what they mean though. The other one had something to do with a little girl getting her head bashed in, you drowning and a table with a phoenix on it." he shrugged, he watched Ginny pale a little.

"Me neither." she said quietly looking out the window, one of her main fears was drowning. She swallowed her pride, it was no or never. She wasn't so stupid she couldn't tell what had made him overly moody lately, she was stubborn but not stupid."I forgive you." she said simply. She didn't really want to abbreviate on it, she fingered her bandaged leg gently. Draco looked up narrowing his eyes, she could tell she had him confused. She hoped he'd figure it out.

"Why?"

"Because I'm finally starting to understand you. You may be strange, and kind of rude sometimes, well most of the time-" she started but Draco smirked cutting her off.

"Is there going to be a compliment hidden in there somewhere?" he asked. Ginny laughed a little.

"Shut up you. But I actually don't think you went through with the bet for what Zambini thinks you did. I think you were just lonely." she confessed. She felt a little better when his smirk grew more gentle.

"You know, for a Weasley, you've got some brains after all." he laughed. Ginny's eyes sparked a little deviously.

"So you did kick his ass right?" she asked, Draco laughed again and hit her in the face with his pillow.


	8. To Be Bad

**..:AN: Hello!Sorry this took so long! Happy Summer everyone, hope your's is going better than mine O.o Anyways I hope you likes this chapter! I've got the rest of the story all planned out i'm thinking about three or four more chapters. Now i just have to write the rest of it. Well anyways like usually hope you like it and please review:..**

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Ginny rolled over onto her stomach in the long grass gazing up at the sky. It had been sunny and warm a while ago but there were clouds starting to roll in slowly across the blue sky that was quickly turning a hazy grey.

"Do you think the rain's going to pass us?" she asked Draco who was sitting beside her flicking a galleon off his thumb and catching it again. They were both surprised at how naturally they had gotten back into the flow of sneaking down the back of the castle and to the secret haven.

"Probably not, afraid of getting rained on are we?" he smirked. Ginny shook her head, ignoring his teasing and snatching the galleon out of his hand, smiling at the surprised look on his face.

"Course not, who doesn't love the rain?" she said as she rolled the galleon down the palm of her hand. Draco snatched it back, rolling it quickly over his fingers as Ginny watched with wide eyes.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, looking at the scratches on his knuckles that were now healing.

"You'd ask me anyway, even if I said no, so you might as well." he shrugged. Ginny paused for a while, looking at her hands for no particular reason.

"What's it like to be bad? I mean not the evil kind of bad but, well, the sneaky kind you are. You and I both know I'm not a perfect student but I'm just curious." she said sitting up a little. Draco smirked rather proudly.

"So out it comes. You think I'm quite the bad ass do you?" he said raising one eyebrow. Ginny nodded.

"Aren't you?"

"Well yes, but that's beside the point."

"Answer the damn question Draco." she laughed pinching his hand a little. Draco smacked her hand away rubbing the red spot with his thumb where her nails had dug in.

"Honestly? It's pretty awesome, I can get away with anything really." he shrugged.

"Like what?" Ginny pressed on.

Draco laughed at her interest, it seemed he had sparked her curiosity. He found this rather ironic because he had never met anyone who made him curious like she did, or that he could even find himself wanting to spend more then a second with.

"Sneaking off grounds, wandering the corridors in the middle of the night, teasing muggles with magic."

"You can really do all that? Without any trouble at all?" Ginny gaped, thinking how unfair it was for her that she could barely pass a note in class without receiving detention and he could basically break the law and no one even blinked.

"Why so interested Red?" he asked, not really sure where the nickname had come from but he had to admit he liked the way it sounded.

"Prove it." she smirked, sitting up to look him in the face. "Take me off grounds with you." Her eyes were glittering as she talked, the rain was starting to come down. Draco was quite taken aback, he never thought of Ginny having a wild side.

"Baby steps Gin. Start at being sneaky and grow up to trouble." he said laying down in the grass. Letting the raindrops splatter on his face and roll down his neck, pooling on the fabric of his collar.

"How do you suppose I do that?" she asked laying down beside him. Draco scratched his forehead a little before putting his arms back behind his head. He knew a lot of things about the school that she didn't, from being a prefect and being quite the rebel. One thing he knew is that professors didn't actually do bunk checks, they only noticed if someone told them of a missing student.

"Would your friends tell a professor if you weren't in your room by curfew?" he asked, Ginny pursed her lips a little in thought.

"No I don't think so." it was when she told him that Draco took out his wand, he pointed it the tall and strong looking tree and said a spell Ginny couldn't recognize. Ginny watched as stairs started to protrude from the trunk of the tree, winding its way up into the branches and leaves and out of sight behind a mass of green and yellow leaves.

Ginny got to her feet quickly, she wiped some of the gentle rain off her face and looked at Draco curiously. He gestured towards the tree and they ran over to it looking up into the branches. Ginny saw wooden planks, lots of them that seemed to make up a large wall above them. The stairs lead right to it and met a simple door with a rusty brass handle.

"What did you do?" Ginny asked excitedly as she started carefully making her way up the stairs. She had to hold onto the trunk carefully since there was no railing and if she fell, well it probably wouldn't have been too comfy of a landing.

"Small steps remember? Skip supper tonight and just sleep here. We'll go wandering outside of Hogwarts soon enough." he shrugged as she turned the handle on the door, but she stayed put.

"Is it safe?" she questioned allowed, the creaking of the stairs may have been natural but it made her a little paranoid.

"Oh come on trust me would you?" he said nudging her through the door. Ginny sighed tripping slightly on the floor board but steadying herself quickly. Ginny was standing in the strangest tree house she had ever been in. It was exactly like a small cottage with a kitchen complete with a small table and two chairs, a bedroom, lavatory and what looked like a pantry.

"Merlin. Honestly Draco, how did you do this?" she was beyond shocked. Could all students manage that? Could Hermione even manage to pull a complex spell like this off?

"You sound impressed." he smirked, going over the door Ginny thought to be a pantry and pulled out two towels. He tossed one two her before drying his face and neck off while flopping down on the worn but comfortable couch.

"Well I am, this is pretty huge." Catching the towel in her hand her voice became muffled as she bent over and tossed her hair down attempting to dry it with the towel. She gave up and sat down beside him drying off her face.

"I transfigured a bird house that I put up here. Sometimes I just cant stand staying in there at all. I stay here quite often, get away from everything." he shrugged his jaw stretching as he yawned. Ginny noted he had a couple crooked teeth she'd never noticed before. That struck Ginny as being odd, because he never smiled often enough for her to see his teeth.

Ginny sighed looking down at her hands not really wanting to meet his eyes. She felt sorry for him but strangely enough she couldn't really seem to define it as pity. Maybe it was because she believed there was hope for him somewhere, even if he couldn't see it.

"I understand." Ginny said simply, she got to her feet slowly and took a look around the kitchen. Opening the cupboards she saw that there was food and the sink worked, on the counter there was the usual bread box looking object that was enchanted to stay cold. Inside Ginny found milk, eggs, fruit and other common foods. Ginny smiled and motioned for Draco to come over to the kitchen. "Ever cooked before Draco?" she asked leaning with one arm on the counter.

"Can't say I have. Oh no, no way." he grimaced backing away, Ginny laughed and grabbed his hands pulling him back.

"You're going to learn." she insisted pulling out the milk and eggs along with some vegetables and bread. Draco lunged to get away but Ginny managed to cut him off, holding an egg threateningly in her right hand and a tomato in her left.

"Don't you dare move."

"You don't have the stones." But as soon as those words left his mouth Draco felt the cold and slimy egg running down the collar of shirt and onto his face. Ginny just stood in front of him with a cheesy smile on her face and a broken egg shell in her hand that had bits of egg dripping out of it.

"I don't do I?" she asked with mock sweetness. Draco growled a little, slyly grabbing a small bag of flour behind his back and popping it open. Quickly he tossed it in her face, covering her entire front with white powder. Ginny wiped the powder out of her eyes as the sound of thunder rolled across the sky, she breathed out and a puff of white powder went up into the air. Ginny laughed and looked at Draco opening her arms.

"Come on give us a hug!" she laughed tackling him and smearing flour all over him.

* * *

There was a cascade of more flour and sugar, followed by the crashing of pots and pans and inconsistent laughter. Two sets of hands clamped onto the counter to help their owner's to their feet. 

Ginny grimaced at the congealing mass of eggs, flour and tomatoes in her hair that was trickling onto her face. Her face suddenly split into a smile as she saw Draco covered in a similar cornucopia of assorted foods, except he smelled a lot worse then she did. Laughing they made their way outside into the rain and after discarding their house robes, socks and shoes then they dove into the small lake in the rest of their clothes.

"It's freezing!" Ginny said shrilly as she surfaced and tilted her head back. Her fingers couldn't seem to get out the bits of tomato skin and sighing she gave up. The water wasn't fairly deep, her toes were skimming the sandy bottom. It was a colder then the warm spring rain but the warm air made it tolerable.

"It's not that bad you little pansy." Draco said swimming over to her watching her float aimlessly, her head in its own sea of dark red hair. Before he knew it he was running his fingers through her hair, getting out the bits of food she couldn't reach and letting himself indulge in touching the satiny hair he had stared at so often.

"This should be kind of awkward shouldn't it?" Ginny said quietly, Draco nodded.

"Yeah, it probably should be."

* * *

Ginny watched the fire crackling in small iron fireplace, it warmed the entire room and the lingering cold she felt after they stopped swimming and magically dried off her clothes. She made a mental note to never swim in a skirt again. 

Yawning she let her head drop onto the surface she was using as a temporary pillow, that was rising and falling steadily. She watched Draco yawn underneath her as she randomly played with one of the buttons on his shirt. A strong chill and lack of room on the couch drove them to laying like this, but they were beginning to find it felt rather natural.

"I cant believe we had a food fight, honestly how old are we?" he laughed, Ginny laughed too. She pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear and looked at the now clean kitchen.

"I think I've given up on trying to teaching you to cook. I think I'll just go make us a late supper." Ginny moved her arms to the sides of him trying to pry herself up but he grabbed her hands and stopped her.

"It's not late yet, it's not officially late until your eyes get droopy and that jolly drooling attribute some people get kicks in." he smirked. Ginny laughed relaxing again.

"Meaning?"

"I'm not letting you go." he said firmly. Ginny looked at him, wondering if he meant that to sound so sincere. Usually when Ginny tried to look someone straight in the eyes she felt awkward, it was as though when she looked at someones eye it was like trying to force herself to feel comfortable. Ginny couldn't stop watching the lighting of the fire dancing in his eyes, the dark pupils surrounded by a light grey, then a darker blue and an almost black outline to his iris.

"I like your eyes." no sooner had she said that did Draco lean up and kiss her, taking her by surprise. Ginny's head screamed at her telling her to make him stop, friends was one thing but this was something else.

But Ginny knew she had already wanted to do this so many times it wouldn't have mattered if they had never kissed, because she would have always known she wanted it to happen, and that her heart would break when he had to marry Pansy.

Ginny knew that she was crying, but she kept kissing him anyway. There was so much that would be in the way, that would try to separate them. Draco had a destiny that he didn't want, something he would die to get away from and she would just be in the way no matter what he chose.

Draco broke away when he felt her tears running down her cheeks, Ginny automatically looked down. The tears were running freely now, she had to admit she was happy that he was finally letting her know he felt for her. But her heart was breaking for him already, because being in love with Draco would make all the things he would have to go through would bring her pain as well.

She embraced him letting her head fall in the crook between his neck and shoulder, willing herself to stop crying. Draco wasn't stupid, he knew what this was about because he had been thinking the exact thing.

"Why us?" he finally said. "Why do we fit like this?"

Ginny put her hand inside his, interlacing her fingers through his lean and pale fingers. "Because we're not supposed to." she said swallowing the lump in her throat. Draco nodded resting his forehead against hers, nose to nose.

"Fates a bitch." he said. Ginny laughed lightly, closing her eyes. Draco noticed there were small droplets of water on her eyelashes, that were abnormally long. They weren't so dark as they were long, but they even had a reddish tint to them like her hair.

Ginny let the yawn out she had been hiding and her stomach growled. Ginny got to her feet pulling Draco with her and went over to the kitchen deciding to make them an attempt at a meal from whatever was left. Whatever she made she knew it would probably be a little difficult for mobility reasons with Draco's arms wrapped around her from behind.


	9. Place To Keep Your Thoughts

**..:Gah writers block SUCKS! Anyone have any tips! I'm so desperate! Thanks so much to you all for sticking with me! I love you all! lol. I know this is short I'm sorry:..

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Ginny sat at the Gryffindor house table at breakfast, glaring at the stack of chocolate chip pancakes in front of her. She was solemnly swearing she would never eat chocolate again after her terrible supper last night. She helped herself to the crisp looking fruit salad and a blackberry muffin.**

Ginny had snuck back into her room at the crack of dawn, taking a shower and getting dressed. She felt well rested after a comfy sleep in front of the crackling fire with the sound of rain pelting the roof of the tree house. Wincing as she realized she didn't do some of her homework she had the previous night, she chewed the strawberry thinking about if there was a possibility she could make up the unfinished potions homework plus the homework she would have that night and manage to see Draco.

She laughed quietly to herself in doubt. "You're a dreamer Gin." she thought to herself. She'd have to tell Draco she couldn't see him after classes, she was debating whether to go over to him at the Slytherin table when a large owl dropped a package in front of her.

"What's that Ginny?" asked Colin as he sat down beside her.

"Morning Colin. I don't know, I don't usually get packages." Ginny shrugged moving her orange juice out of the way , she sat the package straight in front of her and began unwrapping the brown paper.

"Woah, who's that from?" Colin asked as she pulled out a stunning dragon hide journal. It was dark black but shimmered in the light with a golden dust. It was held together by a satin silver ribbon that was tied in an elegant bow. The front had her name embossed in a calligraphy like script that caught the light and twinkled back at her.

"Draco." she breathed quietly, she pulled on the ribbon and ran her hand over the smooth parchment. Looking down she saw the burnt cover of her old journal and a note.

_"A Place To Keep All Those Brilliant Thoughts."_

"Draco? As in Draco Malfoy?" Colin whispered back. "Why the hell would that bloke send you anything?" Colin said. Ginny sighed and put her arms around the journal, holding it to her carefully and turned to Colin.

"Colin I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before. But there was this bet me and Draco made, I just wanted the money for a new broom but then once I got to know him he became my friend. And well.."

"Friend? Ginny have you lost your mind?" Colin was looking at her in bewilderment, Ginny was trying to explain but she felt like she was failing.

"No I haven't Colin, I just know him better than you do so you can't tell me I'm wrong. But we're kind of..Um. Well we're seeing each other now" Directly after she finished she covered his mouth with her hand to muffle the outraged sound that she knew was to come.

Colin's regularly beady eyes got beadier as they bulged and stared at her, obviously dumbstruck.

"Don't argue with me Colin, I know you want to but it's just going to make a scene and I'm not going to listen. Now I'm going over there to thank him in a minute so I don't want any trouble from you. You're an awesome mate but you're not my guardian. Do I make myself clear?" Ginny glared at him, when he nodded she lowered her hand.

"Just be careful." he said, his voice laced with dread. Ginny nodded and got up from her chair and walked briskly over to the Slytherin table to wear Draco was seated.

"Morning Draco." she smiled. Crabbe and Goyle looked at her, a little flustered and confused, while Pansy was looking at her in a pure rage.

"Morning Ginny." he said before turning around and getting to his seat. He had small circles under his eyes but nothing abnormal, Ginny inhaled the smell of his clean shirt and not caring about who would see, she hugged him.

Draco laughed quietly lifting her up a little as he returned her hug and purely by instinct gave her a small kiss, seen by none, to her temple.

"Thank you, its beautiful." Ginny smiled, the journal still clutched in her arms.

"Draco what are you.." Pansy stated getting to her feet and flipping her blonde ringlets over her shoulder. Draco gave her a steal gaze and took Ginny's hand boldly in his, pulling her out of the great hall. When Ginny stopped to get her old journal and bag she saw her brother looking at her in a state of absolute shock to which she just smiled. Sometimes it was fun being bad.

* * *

"That was brilliant!"Ginny laughed as they stopped in an empty hallway she threw her arms around him. Draco's face split into a smile, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Tomorrow I think we should shock them all with a full on snog. Think that will do the trick?" he asked, Ginny was too busy watching him smile to make a witty retort and just nodded.

"Uh huh." she muttered. Draco laughed brushing a strand of her hair out of her face, letting his fingers run down her jaw line.

"I have a meeting with Snape tonight so we can't go back to the tree house tonight. Besides, two nights in a row is a bit too risky." he explained. His smile had fallen a little but it was still clearly there. Ginny smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

"I have too much homework anyway, just come say hi to me in the library if you get out early and you can spare the time." she said. He nodded and gave her a kiss goodbye as the Great Hall emptied and they went they're separate ways.

As Draco went towards his transfiguration class he felt the smile creep back onto his face as he thought to himself;

"So this is what it's like to be happy."

* * *

Ginny ran her hands over the pages of her new journal during lunch, she was seated on the main stairs of the school and was copying down "Odd Eyes" onto the first page. When she finished she held the book open carefully, letting the ink have time to dry before she closed the book. The pages had a sort of sheen to them that Ginny was watching with a smile on her face.

When she heard someone behind her she looked up and waved Luna over.

"Hello Gin, is that the famous gift you've been bragging about all day?" Luna asked as she sat down beside Ginny. Luna's shining blonde hair was tied up with a rather violent looking chopstick with a sculpture of a gnomes head at the top. Luna had burst out laughing when she found Ginny after breakfast, applauding her and Draco's show.

Ginny beamed as she gently closed the book and handed it carefully to Luna. Luna smiled as she ran her hand over the cover.

"You more than fancy him don't you?" Luna smirked as she watched Ginny's cheeks turn a bit pink. Ginny just laughed as she rested her head on Luna's shoulder.

"I think, I'm in love with him." she sighed sadly. There was so many things standing in the way of her and Draco and the reality of that had been pushing down on her this morning. Luna nodded understandingly, she knew through Ginny about Draco's problems and that a relationship, or anything else between the two of them would be more than difficult.

As they continued to talk quietly neither of them noticed the girl hiding behind the stone railing, sneaking off to the side of the school and into the dungeons.

* * *

"That little rat. Who the hell does she think she is!" Pansy growled angrily as she stormed down the underground passage towards the Slytherin dungeons. Her blonde ringlets were bouncing off her shoulders while her eyes were alive with fury.

She knocked over several first years in her wake as she quickly walked through the common room and into her dorm room. The room was a ghastly splatter of pink curtains, carpet and bedding. The only thing that wasn't pink was the face of Lucius Malfoy hovering in the red flames of the fireplace.

"So what did you find out Pansy my dear?" he drawled in his cold manor. Pansy collapsed in front of the fire and dug her fingers into the carpeting furiously.

"The little Weasley wretch thinks she's in love with my Draco, that they're in some sort of relationship. I mean the bet was off a long time ago so what the hell is he doing!" she seethed. Lucius had demanded an explanation of the bet Pansy had let slip by accident the last time they had talked.

"Well we'll just have to hasten our plans then wont we?" Lucius smirked coldly. Pansy smiled gleefully in return. "How many weeks are left of school?"

"Two, then exams week sir." Pansy explained.

" Then next week it is." Lucius nodded.

"Well I did want a summer wedding, but I think spring should do just fine. Shall I go break the news to him then?" Pansy asked getting to her feet.

"NO!" Lucius bellowed, making Pansy jump. "I mean, why not leave it as a surprise? I think next weekend should suffice. He'll receive his Dark Mark then you two shall be wed. It should be a lovely orientation. I will talk to you tomorrow Pansy." Lucius drawled.

"Goodnight Mr Malfoy." Pansy smirked as her soon to be father in laws head disappeared. Sitting on her bed she smiled wickedly, soon Draco would be hers.


	10. Dont Shut Me Out

**..:Happy New Year! Sorry I'm doing so bad with updating :(I didn't get much of a chance to thoroughly edit this because im getting migraine but i went through it once. Sorry if the spelling is that off. Except two or so chapters after this! Hope you Like it:..**

* * *

The sound of bubbling cauldrons and the hectic chopping was echoing through the dungeons and into Draco's ears as he prepared his anti-aging potion. As he carefully sliced into the black mushrooms and tossed them into his cauldron they let out an earthy fragrance that filled his nostrils.

After forcing himself to stop smiling he had finally gotten into a concentration mode that was letting him progress steadily on the potion that was due at the end of class. It wasn't until the class ended and he was handing in his corked vial that Professor Snape looked at him worriedly.

"We need to talk after class Mr. Malfoy, uninterrupted and for at least an hour." Snape said quietly as the class began to file out. Draco noticed Pansy giving him an eye over and blowing him a kiss before she left and he did nothing to hide his disgust.

Draco thought about his plans after school that mainly consisted of brushing off homework and merely watching Ginny do hers. He smirked a little to himself as he thought of how she would bite the end of her quill when she was thinking as he had seen her do before.

"Alright Professor." he said, following Snape's billowing cloak into a storage room beside his class.

Professor Snape looked into the hall to make sure it was empty and closed the door firmly, the dim lighting from the hanging oil lamp casting eerie shadows across the hollows of his face. Draco sat down on a small stool and stretched out his legs, Snape took a seat on a high ladder and brought out his wand.

"Don't want our little conversation to be overheard." he said, muttering what sounded to be Latin he waved his wand and the walls of the room where covered with a misty blue haze. The sparkly mist danced near vials and jars and cast everything into a watery sort of lighting.

"So Professor what's this about, or need I ask?" Draco asked watching the potions master carefully. Snape's usually pale complexion was paler, if not downright clammy looking. There were large circles under his eyes and a strained look to him.

"You needn't ask Draco. Dumbledore and I have come to a solution to your little problem. We are fairly certain that this will stop you from having to join the Death Eaters." Snape said quietly. Draco leaned forward on the stool with wide eyes, resting his arms on his knees.

"Seriously?" he asked, forgetting to be civil with an elder. Snape didn't seem to notice and just nodded.

"But there are risks, and it'll be a life altering decision." he paused looking at Draco seriously. "There will be no going back after you accept Draco, but to put it bluntly, it's your only chance and it'll slip away soon.

According to your father he's moved your wedding date to Miss Parkinson. So really you only have four days until our plan takes action. You don't really have much time to decide."

"I'm in, I don't care what the plan is, if it gets me out of this mess then I'm all for it. What do I have to do?" Draco said, a firm tone of finality in his voice.

* * *

Ginny looked up from her herbology homework and gazed out the window. She was sitting a small round table by one of the small windows in the library, secluded between two high bookshelves and with a nice view of the forbidden forest.

She looked onto her other side and saw Draco smile a little as he found her. She got up and hugged him once he was out of the isle and into her little section of the library. He was ice cold and he looked rather pale. Ginny narrowed her eyes and reached her hand to his face, the cold of his skin crawled into her warm palm.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, she hadn't ever seen a look on his face like this.

Draco cleared his throat and smiled down at her before kissing her gently.

"Course I am. Just cold, I wrecked my anti-aging potion and had to stay after class to finish it. Working hard?" he asked sitting in the seat beside hers. Ginny sat down, still looking at his face curiously and merely nodded. Draco laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that had escaped her ponytail.

"Would you stop looking at me like that? I'm fine. I'm just excited that's all." he smirked. Ginny perked up a little and leaned forward.

"Excited? About what?" she asked curiously.

"Tonight we're going off grounds to a little Muggle village nearby. I go there usually to just look around and whatever, but we're going to have some fun." he whispered so quietly Ginny could barely hear him.

"Are you serious?" she said, excitement running through her tone as her eyes opened widely.

"As a curse, you think you're ready for it?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow in a challenge. Ginny pulled on his collar, bringing him close to her.

"What do you think?" she smirked in a Draco-esque fashion before kissing him.

* * *

Ginny walked quietly down the dungeon corridor beside Draco, the many portraits on the wall of grim looking wizards snoring loudly as they slept. It felt like they had been walking for ages, and it was getting progressively colder as they went on.

Just as she opened her mouth to ask where they were going he turned to give her a sharp look and pulled her in front of a portrait of a steaming goblet of pewter. There were several jewels around the base of the goblet, glimmering in the dim light of his wand they appeared to have been attached onto the painting. Draco slid the green jewel down and replaced it in the middle of the two red ones, shifting the other red one over to the left and stepped back.

Soundlessly the portrait swung open to reveal a steep hill of stones that overlooked a small village. Draco took hold of her hand and began to lead her down the steps carefully, two brooms in his other hand.

As she looked over her shoulder Ginny could see the castle was far behind her and the only thing that showed where they had come from was a rectangular piece of stone that was sliding into place.

"That's Hogsmeade there, we're flying about two minutes south to a Muggle village. We cant take off until we're past that big boulder." he said gesturing to a large moss covered boulder at the end of the hill.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"Filch seems to have some kind of charm to detect brooms being flown within that point, close escape in my second year with him trying to kick off early." he said, a tone of almost mourning in his voice.

Ginny stopped forcing him to turn around abruptly. He looked over her face curiously, it was unusually stern and worried.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked quietly. Draco smiled slightly, stepping up to her.

"I'm sure, now come on the night's wasting away."

* * *

Ginny couldn't help but smile as she strode hand in hand with Draco down the sidewalk of the small Muggle town under the streetlights. She looked through the shop windows at all the strange inventions and objects glowing under dim blue lights.

"This is fabulous" she said excitedly, looking up at Draco. He smiled back down at her leading her around the corner.

"You haven't seen anything yet." he smiled leading her into the inside of a building with flashing lights over the top, glowing in neon green and reading "Paul's." They walked through the door into the craziest building Ginny had ever seen.

It was some sort of restaurant except it was so dimly lighted Ginny couldn't see very far in front of her own face. There were round tables that were very high up and standing on one tall thick leg that was giving off a multi-coloured glow. Everyone was sitting on tall stools with cushioned backs and looking towards a stage on which a small band of teenagers were set up and playing soft and kind of gothic music.

Draco led her to a table where they sat in a secluded corner together facing the stage. Draco's eyes were wandering the crowds pensively and finally he smirked a little.

"See that man there, the one with the long dark hair at the bar?" Draco whispered. Ginny looked briefly over her shoulder at the man drowning himself in small glasses of whisky and nodded.

"What about him?" she asked, watching over Draco's face with a small smirk on her face, reflecting his own gently.

"He's a wizard living in the muggle world, he'll trade us money so we can order. I'll be back." he kissed her gently over the table and slipped away. In one of the circular mirrors on the wall Ginny watched Draco stride over to the bar and lean down on the glass surface. He tilted his head towards the long haired wizard and nodded and began talking quietly. Within a couple seconds Draco slipped some galleons into the mans hand and took some paper bills in return. Ginny smiled lightly as he turned to the bartender to order and came back with two brightly coloured glasses.

Ginny's was filled with pretty red-orange liquid and a maraschino cherry on a swizzle stick while Draco's was fizzing a light green. Ginny took the cherry off with her teeth and looked down at the glass.

"It's not heavy, little bit of gin. Not even enough to get a canary slightly pissed." Draco smirked taking a drink of his own. Ginny smiled and took a sip, she had tried Firewhisky before but she thought it'd be better to not jump the gun with the risks tonight.

"Weird music isn't it?" Ginny said, watching the young guitar player who seemed to be in his own little world. Draco nodded.

"I like it, it sounds familiar strangely enough." he said. Ginny blinked, she had been thinking she had never heard anything like it before in her life. The instrumentals were soft at first with the piano but then the guitars and drums set in filling the sound with a more dramatic feeling.

"I... I came here by day, but I left here in darkness And found you, found you on the way And now, it is silver and silent, it is silver and cold You, in somber resplendence, I hold"

Draco's eyes widened, that tune..he knew it. The little girl with the jump rope, the one from the dream who his father had tried to kill. The dream in which he saw Ginny die, without realizing it he tightened his soft grip on Ginny's hand atop the table.

"Cold in life's throws, I'll fall asleep for you Cold in life's throws, I only ask you turn away Cold in life's throws, I'll fall asleep for you Cold in life's throws, I only ask you turn As they seep... into me, oh, my beautiful one, now"

"This song was just a coincidence." Draco thought to himself, he let out a shaky breath as Ginny snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ginny was asking, she was leaning over the table. "Want to get some air?"Her eyes were roaming all over his face, her face showed she was worried again. Draco nodded and got to his feet and lead her back outside.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Ginny said halting outside the building. Draco ran a hand through his hair and looked across the street in awe. It was a motorcycle store and there were several shining, large bikes sitting under a blue tinged light in the store window.

Draco led Ginny across the road carefully and looked up at them with the feeling of awe spreading across his face.

"I've always wanted a motorcycle. Ever since I was little." Draco smirked. Ginny sighed and stepped directly in front of him with a stern look on her face.

"Answer me." she said firmly, she looked almost desperate, pleading towards him.

"I just..don't feel like myself today. I really don't know why." he said, a small lump in his throat was rising but he swallowed it back down and smiled at her. She was looking over his face carefully, staring into his eyes.

"It scares me when you shut me out." She said quietly. "I mean I don't really know where you stand in how the 'us' thing is going but I think it's a good thing. It's when you don't answer me and go cryptic for no reason I get scared for us."

Draco blinked at her, she seemed to glow when she said 'us' and he loved the way it sounded. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her shoulder, giving her neck a small kiss.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. Ginny embraced him back and laid her head against his collar.

"It's okay, please don't do it again. It.., well it hurts." she said. Draco drew back a little to look at her face, swallowing hard.

"I love you Gin." he said firmly, almost defiantly as if people were listening in on their conversation. He was watching Ginny's face carefully, as her eyes widened and she pursed her lips and inhaled deeply.

"I love you too." she replied. Her tone wasn't defiant, but it was sincere and kind of relieved in a way. Draco felt strange after she said that, nobody had ever really said that to him that mattered at all. Before Ginny knew it Draco had scooped her into his arms and kissed her.

* * *

Ginny smiled as she slid back into her warm bed, brushing her hair back from her face. They had gotten back from the muggle city without any trouble, spending an hour walking around and looking at the houses and stores.

But Ginny was smiling because he said he loved her. She was smiling because the person she had been debating with herself about so long she really did love. At first she had been surprised when he said it to her, but then she knew that this was different then anything she had felt before. As cheesy as it was for her to believe, Ginny was smiling because she was in love and she knew it.

* * *

As Draco slid into his bed he pressed his cold palms against his forehead. He swore to himself as the lump in his throat grew larger and refused to go down. He clenched his fist and smashed it into the lamp beside his bed and causing it to shatter into large pieces. Leaving his bleeding hand alone he closed his eyes.

"I love her." He whispered, his tone was something new to himself. But he could tell it was the sound of him being heartbroken.

* * *

**..:As always Reviews are appreciated! hint hint lol:..**


	11. Pain As She Knows It

**...:AN: At last eh? NOT the last chapter! I think you all may hate me for this one but it's needed. Ok so I'm INSANELY sorry about the lack of updates but theres two good reasons for this:  
1: My computer got wiped out and deleted Wordperfect 9  
2. I was in trouble with for a previous fanfic so i had to lay low.  
Now i have to ask of you a HUGEEEEEEEEEEEE favour! If you like this chapter its all thanks to my amazing friend Shaun who mailed me Wordperfect 9 so i could finally write. If you mention him in my comments you'll be my BEST FRIEND! Also if any of you want to add me to msn to talk g/d and the awesomeness feel free! I'd love to hear from people who read my stuff! My address is on my main page  
I hope you all haven't given up on me! I 3 ma readers:..

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Ginny sat with Luna in the library, writing out their homework on Chimaera attacks in the Middle Ages. Luna was looking at the book upside down curiously, tilting her blonde head of hair to and fro as she attempted to decipher the picture.

"Book confusing you Luna?" Ginny asked with a smile as she looked up from her parchment.

"No, but the Chimaera looks kind of like Professor Snape in this picture. Especially if you look at it like this." Luna said showing her the book, Ginny laughed as she could just see an upside down hideous monster. No hooked nose, no greasy hair.

"So exams start soon, which ones are you worried about?" Ginny asked, finishing her Defense Against the Dark Arts homework and starting on her potions essay.

Luna itched at her nose a little and shrugged. "Potions and History of Magic. I'm more excited for the summer."

Ginny nodded feeling a pang of jealousy, she knew what her summer would consist of. She'd be spending it in the eerie Order of the Phoenix house cleaning and eavesdropping on conversations with Ron. She was expecting to be bored to tears. Luna, on the other hand, would be traveling around Europe with her eccentric father looking for features for his articles. She'd be visiting Italy, France and Merlin knew where else. Luna would be having an amazing summer while Ginny dusted for pixies.

But Ginny smiled as she thought that maybe she could get out once and a while. Her mind drifted to walking down Diagon Alley with Draco or maybe just visiting Hogsmeade in the summer when it wasn't so full of Hogwarts' students. Hopefully her summer wouldn't be as dismal as she had expected.

That was if they managed to get the marriage to Pansy out of the way, Ginny's eyes widened as she thought of it. She had totally forgotten, overlooked and hadn't even take that into account lately. How could she have forgotten something so crucial? Ginny groaned and let her head fall onto her textbook.

"Just because exams are on the way doesn't mean you should give yourself a concussion." she heard Luna tut beside her.

* * *

Draco leant against the cold wall in the hall outside the Great Hall. He watched the people filing out slowly and heading towards their common rooms or the library, some of them with solid frowns on their faces, others with glee filled smiles. 

Letting out a held breath he looked up at the ceiling, looking at the immense ceiling. It reminded him of the tall ceilings of Muggle churches he had seen in pictures, it looked as though not even the sky could be that high despite the fact it clearly was. He was wondering how many people had touched the top of the ceiling when somebody moved beside him.

Draco looked back down and saw Pansy smiling at him broadly.

"Hello darling." She said cooly. Draco rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Go away Pansy, before I decide to cut off all that hair of yours and shove it down your throat." He said quietly, watching some Ravenclaw girls go by and give him a strange look.

"Now is that any way to treat your fiancee?" she asked touching his arm possessively.

"You're not my fiancee, I didn't propose to you. Actually I doubt anybody would marry you out of free will." he snarled. Pansy narrowed her eyes and turned on her heel, flipping her long hair and smacking him in the face with it before storming off.

Draco looked at the ground furiously, cursing Pansy in his mind. But when he felt a hand gently touch his hand he felt the tension slowly leave when he looked into a pair of deep brown eyes.

"Hey, why didn't you come to dinner?" Ginny asked softly.

"I wasn't hungry, but I wanted to see you." he said giving her a small kiss.

"Well I'm glad you waited. I'm going to the library, do you have any homework you want to work on? I can wait for you to get it if you like."

"No, not really, I'll just watch you." he said taking her hand in his and walking towards the library. Ginny smiled and nudged him in the side gently.

"You mean distract me, not that I'm complaining." she laughed.

"Well either way I'm sure to enjoy myself." he smiled.

* * *

The next couple days we're relatively quiet around Hogwarts. Everyone was either studying or falling asleep in random places from late night studying. The weather was warm but with gentle rain and the Saturday came with a relief to everyone and with the last Hogsmeade trip. 

Ginny and Draco were walking down the streets under a large black umbrella in the light rain. They both were able to wear the thinner cloaks they owned, tied below their necks and neither had to worry about freezing in their uniforms.

"Where do you want to go?" Ginny asked looking up at Draco's face. She waved as Harry, Hermione and Ron walked by, heading for the Three Broomsticks and giving Draco a confused look but a slightly warmer one to Ginny.

"Actually I kind of like it out here, can we keep walking for a while?" he asked. Ginny nodded as they continued walking down the tightly packed dirt road.

"The breeze does feel nice, its so warm." she smiled. Draco nodded tightening his grasp on her hand as they turned down a corner and began walking down a road that was lined with small apple trees.

"This looks like someone's orchard." Draco thought aloud.

"Well we're not hurting anything, we should be fine. Besides the apples are too small to pick anyway. Ahh wet." she grimaced and pulled her foot out of a puddle. Unfortunately the puddle was full of thick mud and kept her boot and she started to fall forwards.

With surprisingly quick reflexes Draco caught her and held her so her foot wasn't in the soggy road. Ginny laughed and used her foot to pry up her boot from the inside and slipped it back on as Draco sat her down on her feet.

"My hero." She laughed pulling on his hand to bring him closer. Draco smirked and kissed the top of her head.

"Happy to help. Oh I have something for you, close your eyes?" he said. Ginny looked at him, clearly puzzled, but did as she was asked.

Draco lately hadn't been attending many of his classes, and instead had been coming into Hogsmeade and relaxing. Of course he wouldn't tell Ginny any of this, mainly because he couldn't. However he had been allowed to miss classes because of Dumbledore telling the staff his father was excusing him. So to the grunts of annoyance of his professors Draco didn't even have to write his exams.

Draco lifted Ginnys' hand and pulled out a delicate silver ring. Two small lines of silver wove across each other elegantly, with small silver flowers and leaves between them with a single diamond set into the center of each blossom.

Slowly he slid it onto her index finger and kissed her lightly.

"Okay. Open them." he whispered. Ginny opened her eyes and looked down at her finger. Her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly as they let in a shaky breath.

"Oh my.." she breathed, bringing it closer to her face. "This..this is amazing Draco. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I don't deserve this." A small tear slipped out of each of her eyes and she pressed her lips tightly together to stop them from quivering.

"I'm hoping that's a happy crying." he smiled. Ginny nodded and threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly.

"It's a touched crying." she said quietly, burying her head in his shoulder. Draco reached up and laced his fingers through her satiny hair, holding her head gently.

"Promise me something?"

"Anything." she said firmly.

"Everytime you look at that ring, I want you to think of me." he whispered. Ginny drew her head back and kissed him.

"I'm always thinking of you." she noted. "But I promise." she smiled and wiped under her eyes a little. "I love you Draco."

Draco gave one of his new genuine smiles and scooped her into his arms and kissed her. "I love you Ginny."

* * *

Ginny had just finished her potions exam the following Monday, her last exam then school would end at the end of the week. Sighing of relief as she stepped out of the potions class she heard the running of many feet. She saw Neville in the throng of people and gave him a questioning look. 

"Dumbledore has called an assembly in the Great Hall. Everyone's to come immediately." Neville said quickening his pace. Ginny followed quickly searching the crowd for a bright silver-blonde head but it was too crowded and she filed into the Great Hall with everyone else.

There were black banners hanging from the ceiling, with the gold "H" on each of them. Behind the teachers table at the front of the hall hung the largest banner with a gold "D" Ginny's eyes roamed over it and as she sat down she felt a sinking feeling inside of her. It took a while for the students to settle but they all fell quiet when Dumbledore raised his arms with a grim look on his face.

"Welcome students. I am sorry to have pulled you away from your exams but a tragedy has hit our school again and it must be announced." he said. "I do not know if many if all of you know about Muggle warfare due to your families. However they have created instruments intended for one thing, and that is to kill instantly. One of these is a rifle and they are allowed into the hands of the people in the Muggle World very easily, and early this morning one of those instruments claimed the life of one of our own.

I'm afraid that one of our students snuck off grounds very late last night and visited a Muggle village. For reason's unknown to us there was a large fight between locals and our student, Draco Malfoy, was caught in the crossfire of one of the rifles and died in a Muggle Hospital."

Ginny's hearing had suddenly changed, as though everything was far away. Dumbledore, the gasps and screams of her schoolmates, all seemed to be getting further. Her vision was going fuzzy, quickly it narrowed and she fell off the bench to the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

Ginny stood with her head bowed with some of her schoolmates who attended the funeral. She was dressed in a knee length black skirt and long sleeved shirt, blending into the crowd of dark colours of mourning. She looked at the coffin suspended over the rectangular hole on the ground. It was mighty looking, a kingly dark word that was highly polished, suitable for who was inside of it. 

Ginny swallowed hard as more tears streamed down her face, her legs felt like they were going to collapse under her. Thankfully Luna slipped her arm around hers and steadied her, Colin doing the same on the other side while Neville was standing quietly behind.

She bit her lip to hold back the sobbing that was about to ease its' way out of her as she watched the coffin slowly be lowered into the cold, hard earth. She didn't dare move even as people slowly filed away back on their way home. She hugged Luna, Neville and Colin lifelessly when they said they had to go and continued to stand where she was. This was the funeral for his friends, none of his family had attended. Her friends were mainly there for her, but it showed real character on their part to attend.

Ginny watched as the priest touched his wand to the covered grave and magically covered the brown earth with lush grass. Despite the people watching her Ginny moved towards the elegant grey marble headstone with Draco's name engraved on it and placed on it a small stone in the shape of a heart. She had taken it from the water's edge at their secret lake and magically made it into a heart. It was smooth and shining from being washed with gentle waves for ages and it glistened atop the tombstone.

Looking to the other side of the grave she saw a tall blonde glaring at her. It was Pansy and she taking huge strides over towards Ginny.

"You little rat." she seethed. Ginny sat up and felt her sadness evolve into anger and all she could feel was rage looking at Pansy. She was the one that was standing between her and Draco in the first place, she was the main force that would have eventually drawn them apart.

"You don't want to come any closer to me Parkinson." she said cooly. Her tone was quiet but her hatred could be heard within it. Pansy gave her a cocky look and took a step closer.

"Or what Weasley? You'll breathe on me? Or move out of my way?" She took another step and the next thing she knew she was on the ground, further away from the grave then she had been, after receiving a severely painful punch from Ginny across her jaw.

"If you thought that hurt Parkinson, you can't even imagine how much harder Draco would have wanted me to hit you." Ginny said watching Pansy look at her at in a mix of cowardly fear and anger from the ground, a trickle of blood gleaming on her lip.

Pansy got to her feet and walked off quickly. Ginny finally sank to her knees beside her grave and once she was completely alone let into her sobbing. Placing her hands on the newly covered grave she cried her heart out.

But then when she heard the rumble of a motorcycle engine and saw the dust as the dark figure rode away down the dirt road she let her entire body fall onto the ground as she cried.

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**AN: dodges angry people **


	12. Bruised Tears Last Chapter

**..:AN: Drumroll please...This is the Last Chapter. I repeat. This is the last chapter.  
no this is not a prank lol seriously.  
I love all my readers, you all rock my socks to the point of extinction. RIP poor socks.  
I hope you enjoy this! Tad bit predictable but hey, I'm young I can get away with that now. READ AND REVIEW:..

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Under the thick grey blanket the outline of a body could be seen stirring. Ron stood in the doorframe of the room Ginny slept in while they were in the Black House, used for the Order of the Phoenix. He could hear quiet sobs and shaking breaths being drawn in from beneath the blanket.

It had been two weeks since Draco's funeral and Ginny was a wreck. As strong as she was she had never felt this broken before, and it was taking a toll on her slowly. She rarely left her room and when she did she merely sat on the stairs, staring at a ring on her finger she wouldn't show to anyone. Ron watched his sisters body shift under the covers and felt a pang of guilt inside of him.

"I never really tried to understand." he thought to himself bitterly. "Some big brother you are, you lousy git." Ron had been being eaten up inside by his guilt, for not paying enough attention to his sister during school. What made it worse is it seemed she was used to it and told him not to apologize, she was being as nice to him as ever while she was breaking.

Ron closed the door, crossed the room quietly and sat down on the side of her bed. Slowly he pulled back the cover to reveal a mass of deep red hair falling out of a ponytail, milky white skin that was tinged with grey and chocolate brown eyes that appeared bruised from the constant tears.

"Hey Gin." he said quietly. His sister looked up and forced herself to smile weakly, sitting up and wiping her eyes on her hands she nodded to him.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in." she choked. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and wrapped her arms around her legs. "What do you need?"

"Er, well nothing. I just get worried about you, you know? I mean I never really got why you were with him but I can tell you're hurting something horrible." he shrugged, not letting his eyes leave her face. Ginny could read his look easily, a mix of guilt and worry was laying like a veil across his face. Delicate, but still there.

Ginny hugged her brother tightly with the same weak smile she had been carrying around since Draco's death. The one she made to try and make people stop worrying, they didn't need to know she felt like her insides seemed to die with him.

"There's some good things about him dy-" she paused and inhaled deeply again. ".about his death. He never wanted to be a Death Eater, in some way this was sort of a way around it." she sighed. Several more tears slipped out of her eyes.

Ron awkwardly patted her head which made her laugh, for the first time in a long time. Ron noticed she kept glancing down at the silver ring on her finger he could now see up close. There was a bit of silence until Ginny spoke again.

"Did Hermione tell you what to say to me?" she asked. Ron turned a bright shade of scarlet and scratched his forehead.

"No! No, of course not." he said with a bit of a grin.

"Liar." she smacked him lightly with her hand. In response he pulled on her hair a little lighter then he usually would.

"How about we get out of the house? Go for a walk in the sun or something?" Ron asked. Ginny sighed and nodded.

"I haven't left the house in weeks, it'd be nice to get outside." she said glancing out the ancient and somewhat unstable looking window. "Ron, it means a lot that you're trying to understand. Even though you disliked Draco." she said. Ron just smiled and helped her to her feet as they heard voices downstairs.

"Oh no, Snape is here." Ron groaned as they walked out of the room. "I don't want to be told how bloody horrible my future is going to be because I didn't take the last year of potions." he grimaced.

Ginny glanced over the railing seeing Snape speaking with her parents and a brown haired man she hadn't seen before. As Ginny went down the stairs the stranger moved his gaze directly away from her.

"Oh Ginny, honey, are you going somewhere?" Molly Weasley asked looking at her daughter carefully. Ginny nodded motioning to the door. She smiled weakly at her dad and said Hello to professor Snape a little warmer than she usually would have. She knew Draco respected him and they both had the loss of him in common, it seemed almost daily she saw him walking around the Black House or the last couple days of Hogwarts in the halls.

Ginny glanced at the side of the stranger's profile, he had a bit of a triangular nose and curly brown hair. Very long eyelashes and thin lips completed the profile along with average sized ears that had a silver hoop in the lobe.

Ginny sighed going towards the door with Ron, grabbing her coat off the giant coat rack by the door. However she stopped when she heard a bit of a strangled noise behind her. Looking back at the group of people she saw the stranger staring at her, his eyes burning into hers.

His _grey_ eyes that seemed to burn right through her. His _grey_ eyes that seemed to be looking at her like she was the only person in the world. Breathlessly, Ginny stared back with her lips falling apart slightly.

"..No.." she whispered quietly, but as the corner of the strangers lip twitched as if it wanted to move upwards. She screamed at the top of her lungs and tore across the entrance room throwing her arms around him.

Ginny kissed him before the cries of surprise and confusion from the others in the house were even heard by her. When he kissed her back and wrapped him arms around her Ginny felt warm tears streaming down her face, along with a single colder one from his.

This was her Draco. No question.

Ginny broke away from him unwillingly and laughed happily, and the mans lips broke into a very familiar smirk.

"What are you doing here?" he said, his voice was the same. Hearing it made Ginny feel a gigantic wave of relief and comfort wash over her. Ginny hugged him tightly and let herself cry.

"You were dead! Everyone said you were dead! Do you k-know what it's been like thinking about living without seeing you ever again?" and before he knew it she had slapped him across the face.

"Okay, I deserved that. But, ow!" he said rubbing his face. "Gin, it was the only way to get away from the Death Eaters. I'm free now." he smiled. Ginny beamed despite the tingling in her hand. The ring on her finger feeling warmer than it had in a long time.

"Why couldn't someone tell me?" she asked quietly.

"Because everyone was too busy watching you, making sure no Death Eaters laid their hands on you. Didn't you notice Snape around more often than usual after my 'death' was announced?" he asked, he had his warm hand wrapped around hers and Ginny saw her parents walk into the dining room and Snape follow after. Ron had slipped outside after he realized what was going on.

Ginny laughed and let Draco lift her into the air and spin her, ignoring the changes in his appearance but letting herself stare into his eyes almost permanently.

"I have you back." she cried quietly, burying her head into his shoulder. She let the mixture of happy and slightly betrayed tears fall out of her eyes as he held onto her tightly. Weaving his fingers through her hair and kissing her head.

"I'm not leaving you again, you don't know how badly I wanted to tell you. But I couldn't risk it, I couldn't just give in to my father, or Pansy."

"I punched Pansy, at your funeral." Ginny said, her voice muffled. Draco let out a small laugh.

" I saw, didn't you hear my bike?" he said. Ginny choked a little again and punched him gently in the arm.

"When I'm done being annoying and telling you how much I love you over and over again, I'm going to be very mad about this. I hope you know that." she grumbled. Draco smiled, tilting her head up and kissing her.

"Then I'm just going to have to kiss you everytime you try to yell at me." He smirked. Ginny beamed at the familiar sight.

"I can live with that deal." she smiled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and kissing him feverishly.

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**..:So...tis over. The End. Finito. This is not in any particular order  
JBQ: Dodges pitchforks  
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FirePrincessofSlytherin16: lol thanks! Well now if you read it all you'll know the plan .  
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Louey31: Lets just assasinate pansy! .  
J: Everyone's allowed of a few mistakes  
RaveNClaWGeniuS: Thank you and i tried to make them as little ooc as possible, but its tricky. hope i didn't let you down!  
.spitx.fire.: Anxious is good as long as you're enjoying it!  
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Angel0fHell: mee tooo!  
fahzzyquill: Stop writing? eek the horros. Thank you!  
theQubbleringQuibbler: Real feeling? aww thanks thats very nice to say thanks!  
Red9889: Oh dont cry gives you a tissue  
sweet-red-rose: thanks .  
blondegolfer: heh always a happy writer!  
Laina3: Cant say i've ever watched summerland. But glad you enjoyed my fic lol  
****dianna: Painfull indeed.  
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Nanci: aww thanks glad you liked the dream, i love that bit too!  
Lina: I'm glad .  
maggie: hey homie wuz cracking! I miss you :(  
Magneta Evangeline: Easter? egad i dragged this out for so long! I'm glad you liked it!  
LunarianPrincess: interesting is good :) thanks!  
dragon-femme-fetal: Thanks! and did do o.o  
Timra: thanks i did indeed  
Mp3: read on and see lol  
Urmi: Thanks! Happy easter!**

**You all so beyond rock! XXOXXX  
love amanda **

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